SC stays disqualification of six chief parliamentary secretaries in Himachal Pradesh
New Delhi: The Supreme Court has stayed the disqualification of six Chief Parliamentary Secretaries (CPS) in Himachal Pradesh, appointed by the Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu-led Congress government. The apex court put a hold on the Himachal Pradesh High Court's decision, which had declared these appointments unconstitutional.
A bench comprising Chief Justice Sanjiv Khanna and Justice Sanjay Kumar clarified that no further CPS appointments would be made by the state government, stating such actions would contravene the law. The court has also issued a notice to BJP leader Kalpana Devi, who initially challenged the appointments in the high court, seeking her response within two weeks.
The matter has been tagged with similar pending petitions and is scheduled for hearing after four weeks.
Earlier, the Himachal Pradesh High Court, on 13 November, had invalidated the appointments of CPSes Sanjay Awasthi, Kishori Lal, Ram Kumar, Mohan Bragta, Sundar Singh Thakur, and Ashish Butail, deeming them illegal and unconstitutional. The Sukhu government subsequently moved the Supreme Court, arguing that the high court's ruling was flawed and could lead to disqualification of the CPSes under Article 192 of the Constitution.
Prominent advocates, including Kapil Sibal and Abhishek Manu Singhvi, represented the Congress government. Former Union Minister Anand Sharma also appeared as a counsel for Ashish Butail, marking his return to legal practice after 27 years.
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London's Gatwick Airport evacuates part of South Terminal due to suspicious item
London, Nov 22: London's Gatwick Airport evacuated part of its South Terminal as a precaution on Friday while police investigated a suspicious item found in luggage.
Authorities were called to the terminal at 8:20 am after the discovery of a "suspected prohibited item," Sussex Police said in a statement.
“To ensure the safety of the public, staff and other airport users, a security cordon has been put in place whilst the matter is dealt with,” police said.
“As a precaution, an EOD (explosive ordnance disposal) team is being deployed to the airport.”
No one will be able to enter the South Terminal until the incident is resolved, the airport said in a statement on X.
The train station serving Gatwick has also been closed, Britain's rail network operator said.
“We are working hard to resolve the issue as quickly as possible,” the airport said.
