M A I N   N E W S

Justice Verma tipped to succeed Jacob
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, April 30
The Himachal Pradesh Lokayukta, Justice Om Prakash Verma, is tipped to succeed Lt Gen J.F.R. Jacob (retd) as Governor of Punjab, sources here said today.

Deputy Prime Minister L.K. Advani is believed to have had a telephonic conversation with the Punjab Chief Minister, Capt Amarinder Singh, informing him that Justice Verma will be the new occupant of Raj Bhavan in Chandigarh.

Justice Verma was in the Capital today. When contacted at Himachal Sadan, where he is staying, he was not available.

Justice Verma retired as Chief Justice of the Kerala High Court. He also served as a judge in the Allahabad High Court. He did his law from Allahabad University. He hails from Garh Mukteshwar.

It was not immediately known when Rashtrapati Bhavan will issue a notification about Justice Verma’s gubernatorial assignment. Sources in Rashtrapati Bhavan said nothing of the sort was in the pipeline today.

However, sources in the Prime Minister’s Office indicated that since at least six or seven new Governors had to be appointed, the Vajpayee government was interested in announcing all names in one go.

At least half a dozen states, including Jammu and Kashmir and Gujarat, have Governors whose tenure has ended.

The sources said names of new Governors were likely to be announced after the budget session of Parliament concluded on May 9.