Himachal Pradesh High Court Nullifies Appointment of Six Chief Parliamentary Secretaries
In a significant decision, the Himachal Pradesh High Court has nullified the appointment of six Chief Parliamentary Secretaries (CPS) by the state government. Former Chief Minister and BJP leader Jairam Thakur welcomed the court’s decision, stating that the appointments were unconstitutional. The court ordered the immediate removal of the CPS, along with the withdrawal of all their benefits and facilities, including salaries and allowances.
Details of the Court’s Decision
The division bench, comprising Justice Vivek Singh Thakur and Justice Bipin Singh Negi, ruled that the appointments were illegal. The court’s decision was based on a challenge by 10 BJP MLAs, led by Satpal Sati, and an individual petitioner, Kalpana Devi. The challenge argued that the appointments were made under an unconstitutional 2006 act.
Reactions to the Verdict
Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu stated that the order would be discussed with cabinet ministers. BJP lawyer Advocate Veerbahadur Verma noted that the court acknowledged the unconstitutionality of the 2006 act. Advocate General Anup Kumar Rattan mentioned that the state assembly lacked the authority to enact the 2006 law.
Background on the Appointments
The Himachal government had appointed six Congress MLAs as CPS in January 2023. The appointees included Sunder Singh Thakur, Mohan Lal Brakta, Ram Kumar Chaudhary, Ashish Butail, Kishori Lal, and Sanjay Awasthi. The appointments were contested in court, leading to the recent ruling.
Doubts Revealed
Himachal Pradesh High Court -: The Himachal Pradesh High Court is a big building where important judges work. They make decisions about laws and rules in the state of Himachal Pradesh, which is a part of India.
Chief Parliamentary Secretaries -: Chief Parliamentary Secretaries are special helpers to important leaders in the government. They help with government work and decisions, but they are not as powerful as ministers.
Unconstitutional -: Unconstitutional means something is not allowed by the main set of rules or laws of the country, called the Constitution. If something is unconstitutional, it means it goes against these important rules.
Jairam Thakur -: Jairam Thakur is a politician in India. He was the Chief Minister of Himachal Pradesh, which means he was the leader of the state government there.
BJP MLAs -: BJP MLAs are members of the legislative assembly from the Bharatiya Janata Party, which is a big political party in India. MLAs are people who are elected to make laws and decisions for a state.
2006 act -: The 2006 act refers to a specific law or rule that was made in the year 2006. In this context, it is a law that was challenged for being against the Constitution.
Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu -: Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu is a politician in India. He is the current Chief Minister of Himachal Pradesh, which means he is the leader of the state government there.
