Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Dec 8: President of India today appointed Justice Rajesh Bindal as the Acting Chief Justice of the Common High Court for the Union Territory of Jammu & Kashmir and Union Territory of Ladakh.
“In exercise of the power conferred by Article 223 of the Constitution of India, the President has appointed Justice Rajesh Bindal, senior most Judge of the Common High Court for the Union Territory of Jammu & Kashmir and Union Territory of Ladakh, to perform the duties of the office of the Chief Justice with effect from December 9, 2020 consequent upon retirement of Chief Justice Gita Mittal”, read the notification issued by Department of Justice of Union Ministry of Law and Justice.
The EXCELSIOR in its edition dated December 3, 2020 had exclusively reported that Justice Bindal will be Acting Chief Justice of the High Court of J&K and Ladakh UTs.
Born on 16th April, 1961 at Ambala city in the State of Haryana, Justice Bindal did LLB from Kurukshetra University in 1985 and joined profession in High Court of Punjab & Haryana in September 1985. He represented Chandigarh Administration before Central Administrative Tribunal for more than a decade till 2004.
He represented Punjab & Haryana regions of Employees Provident Fund Organization before the High Court and Central Administrative Tribunal from 1992 till his elevation. He remained associated, on behalf of State of Haryana, in settlement of the dispute concerning Satluj Yamuna Water with State of Punjab before Eradi Tribunal and Supreme Court.
He was elevated as a Judge of High Court of Punjab & Haryana on March 22, 2006. He also remained Chairman of the Committee constituted pursuant to Resolution No. 7 adopted in the Chief Justices’ Conference, 2016 for framing Draft Rules for Electronic Evidence and submitted his report to the Supreme Court in November 2018.
Being Chairman of a multi-member committee constituted by Ministry of Women and Child Development to study Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction Bill, 2016, he submitted report accompanied by the recommendations and draft of the Protection of Children (Inter-Country Removal and Retention) Bill, 2018 to the Ministry in April 2018.
During his tenure in Punjab and Haryana High Court, he disposed of around 80,000 cases. Before his transfer to High Court of Jammu and Kashmir, he was heading various Committees including Computer Committee and Arrears Committee.
On transfer to High Court of Jammu and Kashmir, he took oath of office on 19th November 2018. Presently, he is Chairman of the Finance Committee, Building and Infrastructure Committee, Information Technology Committee, State Court Management Systems Committee, in the High Court and also Chairman of J&K Legal Service Authority.
He is also the Chairman of the Committee constituted for conducting assessment for optimal use of technology by NALSA and the State Legal Services Authorities including use of Artificial Intelligence. He is also member of the committee constituted to go into the existing framework of Lok Adalats and Mediation and to suggest ways for enhancing operational efficiency and plugging gaps, if any, for better application of these ADR mechanisms for weaker sections of the society.