High court voids Himachal's appointment of 6 parliamentary secretaries

SHIMLA: Himachal Pradesh HC annulled Wednesday the appointment of six Congress MLAs as chief parliamentary secretaries by CM Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu ’s govt prior to the state’s cabinet expansion on Jan 8, 2023.

Declaring these appointments unconstitutional, the court deemed Himachal Pradesh Parliamentary Secretaries (Appointment, Salaries, Allowances, Powers, Privileges & Amenities) Act, 2006, to be “void ab initio” — invalid from the outset — asserting that it fell outside the legislative authority of state assembly.

HC ordered the immediate withdrawal of all privileges & facilities granted to six CPSs.

The judgment arose from two petitions, including a PIL filed by 10 BJP legislators , arguing that the appointments added an undue burden to the state’s financial resources. In response, the govt defended the CPS positions, asserting that they were in line with provisions of the state law passed by assembly.