Shimla, November 13 (IANS). Himachal Pradesh government has received a big blow from the High Court on Wednesday. The High Court has ordered the removal of six Chief Parliamentary Secretaries (CPS) appointed by the government. Along with this, CPS Act 2006 has also been repealed.
The High Court has ordered the immediate removal of all six CPS from their posts and withdrawal of facilities. Himachal government had appointed these CPS in January 2023, which include Ashish Butel, Kishorilal, Mohan Lal Bragta, Sanjay Awasthi, Ram Kumar Chaudhary and Sundar Singh Thakur.
The government had cited the CPS Act 2006 for CPS appointment. After a long debate, a two-judge division bench of the Himachal Pradesh High Court gave its verdict today. The division bench comprised Justice B.C. Negi and Vivek Singh Thakur were included.
Advocate General Anup Ratna, who is representing the case in the High Court on behalf of the government, said that the government will challenge the decision of the High Court in the Supreme Court and present its side. He says that the High Court has given its decision citing the Assam case, but the CPS Act in Himachal Pradesh was different from the law of Assam.
Under the Assam Act, CPS was getting the same powers and facilities as the Minister. But, CPS did not have such powers in Himachal Pradesh. In such a situation, the government will go to the Supreme Court against the decision of the High Court.
The Congress government was formed in the state on 11 December 2022. Chief Minister Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu had appointed six MLAs as Chief Parliamentary Secretaries, against which former BJP state president and MLA Satpal Satti and other MLAs had filed a petition in the High Court. In this the appointment of CPS was declared unconstitutional. The BJP had alleged that the government had appointed CPS to please the MLAs.
–IANS
SHK/AKJ
