High Court to Hear the Case on December 7
Shimla: In a significant setback for the state government, the Supreme Court has rejected the plea to transfer the case related to the appointment of the Chief Parliamentary Secretary (CPS) in Himachal Pradesh. Consequently, the hearing for this case will now take place in the State High Court, scheduled for December 7.
The state government had sought to transfer the case to the Supreme Court, arguing that similar CPS appointment cases were already underway in Chhattisgarh and Punjab, being heard by the Supreme Court. Therefore, to maintain uniformity, the Himachal Pradesh case should also be transferred to the highest court. However, the Supreme Court did not accept the government’s argument, insisting that the case be heard in the High Court.
The case was presented before a bench comprising Justice Sanjeev Khanna and Justice S.V. Bhatti in the Supreme Court today. The bench dismissed the petition, dealing a considerable blow to the state government’s plans. Now, the High Court will proceed with the scheduled hearing on December 7.
On November 4, the High Court had deferred the hearing in the CPS case, citing the change of benches due to the Supreme Court proceedings. The government had withdrawn its application, which sought to transfer the case to the Supreme Court.
The appointment of CPS in Himachal Pradesh has been contested by BJP MLA Satpal Satti and others, who have raised legal challenges against it.
The rejection of the transfer plea by the Supreme Court is a significant development, requiring the state government to prepare its case for the upcoming hearing in the High Court.
