Himachal Pradesh Assembly Passes Law to Strip Defectors of Salaries and Pensions.

Shimla:

The Himachal Pradesh Assembly passed the Himachal Pradesh Salary, Allowances and Pension Amendment Act for Members of the Assembly today, which will deny salaries, pensions, and allowances to MLAs who defect to other parties.

The new legislation stipulates that defectors will have their pensions stopped immediately and will be required to return any pensions already received. This measure will apply to MLAs disqualified under the anti-defection law, as outlined in the 10th Schedule of the Indian Constitution.

The bill was presented and passed swiftly, with its provisions aimed at curbing defections and maintaining the integrity of democratic processes. Six Congress MLAs—Sudhir Sharma, Ravi Thakur, Rajinder Rana, Inder Dutt Lakhanpal, Chaitanya Sharma, and Devinder Kumar—had been disqualified in February for violating party directives, including abstaining from important votes and cross-voting in the Rajya Sabha elections. While Sharma and Lakhanpal have returned to the Assembly after winning by-elections, the remaining four lost their seats.

Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu lauded the Assembly’s decision, commending Speaker Kuldeep Singh Pathania for his firm stance against defections. Sukhu described the actions of the disqualified members as betrayals of democratic principles and emphasized the bill’s role in curbing corrupt practices.

In contrast, Leader of the Opposition Jai Ram Thakur criticized the bill as overly punitive. Thakur argued that while mistakes by MLAs should be addressed, stripping them of their pensions might be an excessive response that could unfairly damage their reputations.