In a landmark ruling, the Himachal Pradesh High Court has quashed the appointment of six chief parliamentary secretaries (CPSs) and invalidated the legislative act that facilitated these appointments. The decision, delivered on Wednesday by a division bench consisting of Justices Vivek Thakur and B C Negi, has significant implications for the state’s governance structure.
The court’s judgment declared the Himachal Pradesh Parliamentary Secretaries (Appointment, Salaries, Allowance, Powers, Privileges, and Amendments) Act of 2006 void. Justice Bipin Chander Negi, who pronounced the judgment, described the posts as “usurpers of public property” and ordered that all facilities and privileges granted to the CPSs be withdrawn with immediate effect.
The six CPSs, appointed by Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on January 8, 2023, are Sanjay Awasthi from Arki Assembly, Sunder Singh from Kullu, Ram Kumar from Doon, Mohan Lal Barakta from Rohru, Ashish Butail from Palampur, and Kishori Lal from Baijnath. These appointments were made ahead of a planned cabinet expansion and have now been nullified, leading to a potential reshuffle in the state’s administrative roles.
This ruling addresses long-standing concerns about the legality and propriety of such appointments, which critics argue bypass standard legislative procedures and checks on executive power. The court’s decision to strike down the 2006 Act underlines the judiciary’s role in upholding constitutional norms and ensuring that governmental appointments do not contravene established legal frameworks.
