India, Sept. 7 -- The Punjab Cabinet, chaired by Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann, has strongly opposed the appointment of Justice Ashwani Kumar Mishra as Chief Justice of the Punjab and Haryana High Court without awaiting the state government's views. The Cabinet has demanded that the appointment and oath-taking be kept on hold until Punjab's views are obtained and duly considered.

The Cabinet said the appointment bypassed Para 6 of the Memorandum of Procedure, which requires the concerned state government's views to be obtained after the Supreme Court Collegium's recommendation and before the proposal is submitted to the Prime Minister for presidential decision. It said the Centre notified the appointment without waiting for Punjab's...