SHIMLA
The Sukhu government of the Congress in Himachal Pradesh has got a major setback. The State High Court has ordered the removal of six Chief Parliamentary Secretaries (CPS) of the government in a historic judgment and canceled the CPS Act, 2006, as unconstitutional. The court has ordered to withdraw the facilities and privileges provided to all these CPS with immediate effect. This decision is being seen as a major political challenge for the state government.
The decision was given by the double bench of the Himachal Pradesh High Court, which included Judge Vivek Singh Thakur and Bipin Chandra Negi. The court clearly stated in its judgment that the CPS Act, 2006 was not found to be in accordance with constitutional provisions and is canceled. The court also ordered the state government that all government facilities and other benefits given to the Chief Parliamentary Secretaries should be withdrawn immediately.
The aim of the CPS Act, 2006 was to distribute the government’s charge and support the administrative works to the Chief Parliamentary Secretaries. Under this, CPS was provided equivalent facilities for cabinet ministers, including government vehicles, offices, staff and other benefits. However, the validity of this act was being questioned for a long time and the opposition had criticized that through this law, the government was providing political benefits to its supporters.
After the court’s decision, the political situation of the state has totally changed. The Bharatiya Janata Party welcomed this decision, calling it the result of the wrong decisions of the Sukhu government. BJP state president and many MLAs expressed happiness over this decision and described it in the interest of the people of the state. It is proved that the Congress government has taken wrong decisions during their tenure and has misused their power. The CPS Advocate said they will consider this and will appeal to the Supreme Court if needed.
