Broad discussion needed on law to ensure public trust: Himachal Governor

Himachal Pradesh Governor Shiv Pratap Shukla yesterday emphasised that good governance is no longer just an ideal but a practical and achievable approach, enabled by digital innovation, increased transparency, and greater public participation in policy-making. The Governor was speaking on the concluding day at the annual conference of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA), India Region Zone-2, held in Dharamsala.

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Highlighting the evolving role of democratic institutions, the Governor said, “In a democracy, the legislature is not merely a law-making body but a key institution guiding the equitable, transparent and responsible use of the state's economic, natural, and human resources.”

He underlined the challenge of finite resources and rising public expectations, urging legislatures to adopt a far sighted and welfare-oriented approach in policy formulation and budget oversight.

Speaking on the anti-defection law, Shukla said that while the law was enacted to uphold the sanctity of democratic processes, its interpretation has grown more complex over time. “There is now a pressing need for a broad national discussion on the law to ensure continued public trust in democratic institutions and to safeguard the dignity of public opinion,” he said.

Addressing the growing influence of artificial intelligence, the Governor remarked, “AI is no longer the future — it is the present.” He noted that legislatures can leverage AI for enhancing transparency, accessibility and efficiency in areas such as proceedings documentation, digitisation of records, legislative research, virtual meetings and data analytics.

The Vidhan Sabha Speaker Kuldeep Singh Pathania said there was a need to make anti-defection law stronger and more powerful so that the public representatives cannot disregard it while maintaining the trust of the people.

He said that the Vidhan Sabha has recently passed a law which provides that if any member loses his membership under the anti-defection law, he will be deprived of all the facilities and pensions provided by the Vidhan Sabha and will also be disqualified from contesting elections for the next six years. This Bill is awaiting Governor''s nod.

On this occasion, Himachal Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Mukesh Agnihotri, Speaker of Punjab Vidhan Sabha Kultar Singh Sandhwan and law makers of other states were also present.