Shimla: Chief Minister Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu has introduced an amendment bill in the Himachal Pradesh Assembly aiming to revoke the pensions of six former MLAs who were disqualified. This significant legislative move targets members who were found in violation of party regulations and subsequently lost their positions, addressing the financial implications of their disqualification.
The bill, which is set to be discussed in the Assembly, if passed, will stop the pensions of Chaitanya Sharma from former MLA Gagret and Devendra Kumar Bhutto of former MLA Kutlehar. These two former MLAs, along with four others, were disqualified after being found guilty of violating the party whip during the passing of the Finance Bill in the Assembly’s budget session.
The amendment also proposes the cessation of pensions for one term of four other former MLAs: Sudhir Sharma (currently BJP MLA) from Dharamshala, Indradutt Lakhanpal (currently BJP MLA) from Barsar, Rajendra Rana from Sujanpur, and Ravi Thakur from Lahaul-Spiti. If the bill is passed, these members will lose their pension entitlements for the term in question.
In addition to stopping future pension payments, the bill includes a provision for the recovery of pensions and allowances received by disqualified members during the 14th Assembly, as per Schedule-10 of the Constitution. This recovery clause could impose a financial burden on the disqualified MLAs, potentially requiring them to repay benefits received during their disqualified tenure.
The disqualification of these six MLAs occurred during a critical moment in the Assembly’s budget session when they were absent during the vote on the Finance Bill, violating the party whip. Following this, the Speaker, acting on a proposal from the Parliamentary Affairs Minister, disqualified the six members. These MLAs, initially elected on a Congress ticket, later contested by-elections as BJP candidates, with only Sudhir Sharma and Indradutt Lakhanpal winning their seats.
In Himachal Pradesh, an MLA who has served a single term is entitled to a pension of approximately Rs 93,000. For each additional term served, an extra Rs 5,000 is added to this pension. For instance, an MLA with six terms would receive a pension of around Rs 1,23,000. With the ruling party currently holding the support of 40 MLAs, the bill’s passage is expected to face little resistance in the Assembly.
