Supreme Court halts disqualification of 6 CPS, offering relief to Sukhu government in Himachal

Shimla (The Uttam Hindu): On Friday, the Supreme Court stayed the disqualification of six Chief Parliamentary Secretaries (CPS) appointed by the Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu-led government in Himachal Pradesh. The court put on hold the Himachal Pradesh High Court's ruling that declared the power to appoint Chief Parliamentary Secretaries and Parliamentary Secretaries unconstitutional.

A bench comprising Chief Justice Sanjiv Khanna and Justice Sanjay Kumar clarified that no further proceedings would follow based on the High Court’s order that had annulled the appointments of the six MLAs as CPS. However, the Supreme Court emphasized that the state government could not make additional appointments, as doing so would be legally improper. The court also issued a notice to BJP leader Kalpana Devi, who had challenged the CPS appointments in the High Court, asking her to respond within two weeks, with the matter being scheduled for hearing in four weeks.