The Himachal Pradesh government today introduced the Himachal Pradesh Legislative (Allowances and Pension) Amendment Bill, 2024, aimed at stripping pensionary benefits from MLAs disqualified under the Anti-Defection Law. The Bill was tabled in the Vidhan Sabha by Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu.

According to the statement of objects to the Bill, the current Himachal Pradesh Legislative (Allowances and Pension) Act, 1971 lacks provisions to discourage defection by legislators under the Tenth Schedule of the Constitution of India. "It is to protect the mandate given by the people of the state, to preserve the democratic values and to have deterrence to this constitutional sin that it is necessary to bring about this amendment in the Himachal Pradesh Legislative (Allowances and Pension) Act, 1971," the Bill states.

The Bill also includes a provision to recover the pension already drawn by an MLA who has been disqualified under the Tenth Schedule of the Constitution. This amendment will primarily impact two former Congress MLAs, Devinder Bhutto and Chaitanya Sharma, who were unseated after defying the party whip and remaining absent during the passing of the Budget. Both had won their seats for the first time in the 2022 Assembly elections.

In addition to this, the Assembly also passed the Himachal Pradesh Town and Country Planning (Amendment) Bill, 2024, which was introduced by TCP Minister Rajesh Dharmani in the House yesterday. The main objective of this Bill is to regulate constructions according to TCP norms, even in areas outside Planning and Special Areas, particularly in light of the vulnerabilities posed by rains and floods.

The amendment to the Himachal Pradesh Legislative (Allowances and Pension) Act, 1971 is seen as a significant step towards maintaining the integrity of the legislative process and ensuring that elected officials adhere to their responsibilities.

Image source: HT