SHILLONG: Ten years before the present petitioner Madal Sumer took up the issue of appointment of parliamentary secretaries, city resident and chairman of Hynniewtrep People’s Social Organisation (HPSO) Kyrshan War had moved a PIL to the court to strike down these appointments.
War had even gone a step further urging the court to quash the appointment of chairman, co-chairman and other political assignments.
Speaking to The Shillong Times, War said he is happy that finally the tradition of appointing parliamentary secretaries, which drained the state exchequer, came to a standstill thanks to the petitioner Sumer and the relevant order of the High Court of Meghalaya.
He also said in the similar way, the political appointments like chairman, co-chairman and vice chairman, among others, should be cancelled.
War said the purpose of filing the PIL was to reduce wasteful expenditure after the downsizing of the Cabinet in Meghalaya to 12 members, including the chief minister, and the Act related to parliamentary secretaries had equated their rank and status to those of ministers of state.
“There is no point in making these political appointments as this will only bring additional burden to the public exchequer,” War said, adding that the purpose of the government was to satisfy the MLAs who were dropped from the ministry.
It was in 2006 that War had filed the PIL before then Shillong Bench of the Gauhati High Court against MLAs holding the posts of parliamentary secretaries, chairman, vice chairman and co-chairman, among others.
According to War, after he filed the PIL against the parliamentary secretaries, his lawyer had told him that the judge wanted to wait for a verdict from the Supreme Court, as a similar petition was filed by another petitioner from Himachal Pradesh in the Apex Court.
Besides the issue of parliamentary secretaries, War had also moved the Election Commission of India in March 2006 against the MLAs holding dual posts like MDCs in Meghalaya and sought disqualification of MLAs holding such posts.
Later, another social activist, Agnes Kharshiing, filed a PIL in this regard.
