Staff Reporter
ITANAGAR, Jul 26: The Itanagar bench of the Gauhati High Court has ruled the Arunachal Pradesh Parliamentary Secretaries (Appointment, Salaries, Allowances and Miscellaneous) Act, 2017, unconstitutional.
Closing a PIL filed by one Kyoda Ram, challenging the legality of the act leading to appointment of parliamentary secretaries, judges Justice Rumi Kumari Phukan and Justice Monojit Bhuyan stated: “We hold that the Arunachal Pradesh Parliamentary Secretaries (Appointment, Salaries, Allowances and Miscellaneous) Act, 2017, has rendered itself the same fate as being unconstitutional as in the case of the Assam Act, which was considered and answered by the Supreme Court.”
The Supreme Court while disposing of a case challenging the appointment of parliamentary secretaries in Assam had stated that Article 194 does not expressly authorize the state legislature to create such an office, and that the Assam legislature lacks the competence to make the act.
“Parties are agreed that in view of the decision of the Supreme Court, the PIL does not survive for further consideration,” the judges stated while giving their verdict on 25 July on the PIL which was filed in 2016.
Government spokesman Pasang D Sona said the state government respects the decision of the court and will abide by it.
