Chandigarh/Jalandhar, Sept. 7 -- A day after the Centre notified the elevation of Justice Ashwani Kumar Mishra as the chief justice of the Punjab and Haryana high court, the Punjab government on Sunday took strong exception to the decision, stating that the appointment and administration of oath to Justice Mishra should be put on hold until the state government's views are obtained and duly considered.

In an emergency meeting via video-conferencing, the Punjab cabinet condemned the central government for bypassing the established procedure and ignoring the state's constitutional rights in the matter. It stated that the appointment was made without obtaining the consent of the state government thereby bypassing all Constitutional norms an...