Punjab Governor Gulab Chand Kataria administered the oath to Justice Ashwani Kumar Mishra in a formal ceremony. High Court judges, senior officers and members of the legal field participated in this ceremony. Apart from these, Haryana Chief Minister Naib Singh Saini and Governor Prof. Aseem Kumar Ghosh was also present.
However, the absence of the Punjab Chief Minister and his entire cabinet from attending the ceremony remained a topic of discussion. This is because the Cabinet had passed a resolution objecting to the appointment of Justice Mishra and demanded to stop the swearing-in ceremony.
The Punjab government says that the Center proceeded with the appointment process without waiting for the opinion of the state. The Punjab government had requested the President, Prime Minister and Governor to postpone the appointment and swearing-in ceremony. The allegation was that the prescribed procedure for consultation with the state government was not followed.
However, the Central Government said that the Chief Justice of the High Court is appointed as per the 'Memorandum of Procedure' and the constitutional method of appointment of judges and the consent of the State Government is not necessary for this.
The Supreme Court Collegium, headed by the Chief Justice of India (who was the head of the collegium at that time), had recommended the appointment of Justice Mishra on August 6.
Justice Mishra's appointment had sparked a bizarre political and constitutional controversy as the Punjab government had publicly raised questions over the manner in which the process was carried out. Following the Cabinet resolution against the appointment, Chief Minister Mann decided to stay away from the swearing-in ceremony.
Justice Mishra was working as the acting Chief Justice of Punjab and Haryana High Court from June 2 after the promotion of the current Chief Justice Sheel Nagu to the Supreme Court. He was transferred from Allahabad High Court to Punjab and Haryana High Court in July 2025. This incident has brought a new twist in the already tense relations between the AAP government and the BJP central government.
Born on 16 November 1968, Justice Mishra did BA (Hons) in Economics from Kirori Mal College, Delhi University. Apart from this, obtained LLB degree from Campus Law Center of Delhi University. He was appointed Additional Judge of Allahabad High Court on 3 February 2014 and became a permanent judge on 1 February 2016. He served there till July 20, 2025, before being transferred to the Punjab and Haryana High Court.