New Delhi: MLAs in Himachal Pradesh who defect and switch parties will not get pension, as per a new bill passed by the Congress-led government in the hill state, Indian Express reported.
Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu introduced the Himachal Pradesh Legislative Assembly (Allowances and Pension of Members) Amendment Bill 2024, which was passed in the state assembly on Wednesday. The bill is aimed at preventing MLAs from switching parties by stopping their pension.
The new bill says that any MLA who has been disqualified under the anti-defection law won’t get pension. The Bill addresses those MLAs who have been disqualified under the Constitution’s Tenth Schedule.
As per the Bill, “A person shall not be entitled to a pension under the Act if they have been disqualified at any point under the 10th Schedule of the Constitution.” The Bill also has provisions to recover pension that is drawn by MLAs who are not entitled to it under this amendment. Under Section 6B of the Act, any legislator who has served for up to five years is entitled for a pension of Rs 36,000 per month.
It was in 1985 that the anti-defection law was passed by the Parliament.
The amended bill in Himachal comes after Congress MLAs — Sudhir Sharma, Rajinder Rana, Ravi Thakur, Devinder Kumar, Inder Dutt Lakhanpal, and Chetanya Sharma — faced disqualification in February this year under the anti-defection law. They were disqualified as they defied a party whip during the passing of the Budget for 2024-25 and key discussions.
While Sharma and Lakhanpal got back their positions through by-polls later, the remaining four couldn’t succeed in their re-election attempt.
