The Himachal Pradesh Legislative Assembly has passed a significant bill aimed at curbing political defections by denying pension benefits to legislators who switch parties. The Himachal Pradesh Legislative Assembly (Allowances and Pension) Amendment Bill, 2024, introduced by Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, specifically targets MLAs disqualified under the anti-defection law outlined in the Tenth Schedule of the Indian Constitution.
This move is designed to uphold democratic integrity and prevent corrupt practices, as stated by CM Sukhu during the Assembly proceedings. He emphasized that the actions of six Congress MLAs, who defied their party whip during a recent Rajya Sabha election, constituted a severe breach of democratic principles. The bill also includes provisions for recovering any pension already drawn by such disqualified members.
The amendment has sparked a heated debate, with opposition leader Jai Ram Thakur arguing that the bill is overly punitive and could unfairly tarnish the reputations of MLAs. Thakur suggested that while mistakes might be made, denying pensions entirely is too harsh a punishment.
This bill will primarily impact two former Congress MLAs, Devinder Bhutto and Chaitanya Sharma, who were disqualified after defying party orders during the budget session. The bill’s passage is seen as a step to safeguard the electoral mandate and uphold the state’s democratic values (Bar and Bench – Indian Legal news thenewsmen , Lokmat Times )
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