Ladakh Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena was on Tuesday given additional charge of Jammu and Kashmir during the absence, on leave, of incumbent LG Manoj Sinha, who is currently on an official visit to the United States.
According to a communiqué issued by the Rashtrapati Bhavan, President Droupadi Murmu has appointed Saxena to discharge the functions of the Lieutenant Governor of Jammu and Kashmir in addition to his existing duties in Ladakh.
Sinha has been serving as the Lieutenant Governor of Jammu and Kashmir since August 7, 2020.
Meanwhile, in a first since Ladakh became a Union Territory in August 2019, Saxena is set to administer the oath of office to Dr Justice Pushpendra Singh Bhati as the new Chief Justice of the High Court of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh.
The swearing-in ceremony is scheduled to be held at 11 am on September 9 at the Convention Centre in Srinagar.
President Murmu appointed Justice Bhati, currently a judge of the Rajasthan High Court, as Chief Justice of the J&K and Ladakh High Court on September 5. He will assume office from the date he takes the oath and succeed Justice Sanjeev Kumar, who has been serving as Acting Chief Justice since June 2.
Traditionally, the Lieutenant Governor of Jammu and Kashmir administers the oath to the newly appointed Chief Justice of the High Court. Saxena’s appointment to perform the ceremony marks the first such occasion involving the Lieutenant Governor of Ladakh since the Union Territory was created.
The Supreme Court Collegium had recommended Justice Bhati’s appointment on August 31. He was elevated as a judge on November 16, 2016, and has extensive judicial experience.
