Himachal Pradesh challenges HC decision on chief parliamentary secretaries in Supreme Court

Petitioner Kalapana Devi also moved a caveat in the Supreme Court, seeking that she be informed before the court issues any grant to Himachal Pradesh.

The Congress government formed in December 2020 under Sukhu appointed six MLAs as CPS and granted them facilities equivalent to those of state ministers. (File)

A day after the Himachal Pradesh High Court declared the Himachal Pradesh Parliamentary Secretaries (Appointment, Salaries, Allowances, Powers, Privileges and Amenities) Act, 2006, void and disqualified six chief parliamentary secretaries (CPS), the state government on Thursday challenged the verdict in the Supreme Court. One of the petitioners in the case before the high court, Kalpana Devi, also moved a caveat in the apex court.

“The state government has moved a Special Leave Petition (SLP) against the Shimla high court verdict in the apex court. Senior Advocate Kapil Sibal is looking after our SLP in the apex court. One of the petitioners Kamala Devi filed a caveat in the apex court, urging the court that she should be intimated before issuing any grant to the state,” Anup Kumar Rattan, Advocate General, Himachal Pradesh, told The Indian Express. Rattan is in Delhi along with his team.

On November 13, a division bench of the Himachal Pradesh High Court had declared the Himachal Pradesh Parliamentary Secretaries Act, 2006, void and directed the state to immediately withdraw all facilities provided to the six chief parliamentary secretaries in the government. The move came as a jolt to the Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu-led government in Himachal Pradesh.

The Congress government formed in December 2020 under Sukhu appointed six MLAs as CPS and granted them facilities equivalent to those of state ministers. The six MLAs are Ram Kumar Chaudhary, Sanjay Awasthi, Ashish Butail, Sunder Singh Thakur, Mohan Lal Brakta, and Kishori Lal. They have been receiving monthly wages of approximately Rs 1.20 lakh each, as well as other benefits such as vehicles, office staff, and allowances.

A division bench of Justices Vivek Singh Thakur and Bipin Chander Negi issued the order in petitions by Kalapana Devi and BJP leaders alleging that no such post of CPS exists under the Constitution or any statute or Act passed by Parliament. The Sukhu government defended the appointments, stating they complied with the provisions of the state Act passed by the Legislative Assembly.

Saurabh Parashar

Saurabh Parashar is a journalist with The Indian Express, where he primarily covers developments in Himachal Pradesh. He has been associated with The Indian Express since 2017 and has earlier worked with The Times of India. He has 17 year + experience in the field of print journalism. An alumnus of Government College for Men, Sector 11, (Panjab University), Chandigarh, Saurabh holds a Diploma in Journalism from Bhartiya Vidya Bhawan, Chandigarh. He pursued his Master’s in Mass Communication from Guru Jambheshwar University of Science & Technology, Hisar. In addition, he completed his law degree from Himachal Pradesh University (HPU), Shimla. ... Read More

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