New Delhi, October 29
Acknowledging the need for a separate High Court for Haryana, Law Minister M Veerappa Moily says the Centre is “processing” the state's demand in this regard.

“They can have a separate High Court. We are processing and examining the proposal,” Moily told The Tribune yesterday.

Clarifying that the Ministry was yet to take a final decision on the demand, he admitted that there was logic in the contention of Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda that the state should have its own HC rather than have a common HC with Punjab.

Moily said Hooda had met him on more than one occasion in a bid to get the proposal approved by the Law Ministry. When Haryana was having a separate Secretariat and government, it was only logical that it should have a separate HC as well.

However, earlier the Law Ministry had turned down the proposal for the bifurcation of the existing Punjab and Haryana HC, providing for a separate set-up for Haryana. The Centre had taken this decision on the advice of the HC Chief Justice TS Thakur, according to whom it was not practical to divide the building or the judges and staff.

“Keeping in mind the layout and structure of the building and the pattern of establishment, bifurcation of the existing (HC) building, ministerial staff and administrative offices would not be feasible,” the CJ had conveyed to the Centre.

The CJ has, however, clarified that a separate HC for Haryana may be formed, if so desired, only after setting up the entire infrastructure for running the HC at any other place that maybe chosen by the state.

The Haryana Assembly had unanimously passed a resolution in 2005, demanding a separate HC for the state. The state government had suggested that, to begin with, the present HC complex in Chandigarh should be bifurcated into two separate HCs.