Shimla: Leader of the opposition in the Himachal Pradesh assembly Jai Ram Thakur on Friday accused the Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu-led Congress govt of repeatedly enacting laws that fail constitutional scrutiny.Welcoming the high court’s decision to strike down provisions related to govt intervention in the appointment of vice-chancellors of agricultural and horticulture universities, Thakur said the ruling was another setback to the state govt’s attempts to control universities.The former CM stated that despite repeated warnings from the opposition, the state govt continued to pass legislation that did not withstand judicial review. He said such actions not only embarrassed the govt but also undermined the dignity of the legislative assembly.Citing previous instances, Thakur said the high court had earlier struck down a law cancelling pensions of former legislators and rejected the govt’s attempt to restrict employees’ promotion rights. He also claimed the govt had faced repeated judicial setbacks over panchayat elections.Thakur said govt must respect constitutional and ethical limits, stressing that while a legislative majority can pass laws, “no one is above the Constitution”.
