notifying the Center about a complaint against the appointment of eight MLAs as ministers from the Punjab and Haryana High Court

On Monday, the Punjab and Haryana High Court, in response to a public interest suit contesting the appointment of eight MLAs as ministers, among other parties, sent notice of motion to the Union government. The petitioner said that this was “contrary to the Constitutional Amendment.”

Petitioner-advocate Jagmohan Singh Bhatti contended before the Bench of Acting Chief Justice Gurmeet Singh Sandhawalia and Judge Lapita Banerji that a state’s council of ministers could not be greater than fifteen percent of the “total number of the Legislative Assembly of that State.” According to Bhatti, it was more than 15% of the House’s entire membership in this particular instance.

He also said that the appointments were unlawful, unconstitutional, arbitrary, and a drain on the public coffers, and he was seeking their quashing.

A “setback to the austerity drive in the eyes of the law as the swearing in ceremony of the Chief Minister is illegal,” according to Bhatti, was another consequence of the appointments. The PIL petitioner has submitted two petitions in this case.

Bhatti had already petitioned the high court for an order to nullify the nominations of JP Dalal, Dr. Banwari Lal, Kanwarpal Gujjar, Moolchand Sharma, Ranjit Singh, and five other cabinet ministers.

Bhatti said, “There are ninety MLAs in the House overall. It is not acceptable in any way for there to be more than 90 MLAs due to CM Naib Singh Saini’s appointment. The appointment is thus invalid and unlawful.