Shimla: Next hearing in CPS appointment case on Dec 20

Legal Correspondent

Shimla, December 7

The HP High Court has listed the petition challenging the appointment of Chief Parliamentary Secretaries (CPS) for further hearing on December 20.

Today the matter was listed before a Division Bench comprising Justice Vivek Singh Thakur and Justice Sandeep Sharma and after hearing the counsel for the petitioners, the court listed the matter for December 20.

‘Post a burden on the state exchequer’

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• BJP leaders have filed a petition alleging that no such post of CPS and the Deputy CM exists under the Constitution of India
• They contended in the petition that the appointment to the posts of CPS is a burden on the state exchequer

BJP leader Satpal Singh Satti and 11 other BJP MLAs had filed a petition before the court alleging therein that no such post of CPS and the Deputy CM exists under the Constitution or under any statute or Act passed by Parliament. They contended in the petition that the appointment to the posts of CPS is a burden on the state exchequer

As per the petition, the 91st Amendment capped the number of ministerial berths to 15 per cent of the House strength and as per this norm there can be 12 ministers in the state as the strength of the Assembly is 68.

It was further alleged that the appointments of 6 CPS is contrary to the Constitution. They have been appointed as the CPS, who are de facto ministers without being called so and enjoy all powers and facilities that of the ministers.

The state government had appointed six CPS — Sanjay Awasthi from Arki Assembly constituency, Sundar Singh from Kullu, Ram Kumar from Doon, Mohan Lal Barakta from Rohru, Ashish Butail from Palampur and Kishori Lal from Baijnath.