The Supreme Court on Friday is expected to hear the Special Leave Petition (SLP) filed by the Himachal Pradesh government, challenging the Himachal Pradesh High Court’s verdict declaring the appointment of six Chief Parliamentary Secretaries (CPS) unconstitutional.

The state government moved the apex court on November 14 against the judgment issued by a Division Bench of Justice Vivek Singh Thakur and Justice Bipen Chander Negi on November 13.

In context: The High Court had declared the Himachal Pradesh Chief Parliamentary and Parliamentary Secretaries (Appointment, Salary, and Perks) Act, 2006, as well as Section 3(d) of the Himachal Pradesh Legislative Assembly Members (Removal of Disqualification) Act, 1971, unconstitutional and illegal and invalidated the appointments of CPS Sanjay Awasthi, Kishori Lal, Ram Kumar, Mohan Bragta, Sundar Singh Thakur, and Ashish Butail.

Within hours of the High Court’s order, the state government revoked the privileges and perks of the six CPS and reassigned their staff, including Special Private Secretaries.

President Droupadi Murmu will inaugurate ‘Lokmanthan-2024’, a colloquium of nationalist thinkers, to be held here from November 21-24, Union Minister G Kishan Reddy said last week.

The President will inaugurate the event on November 22, while former Vice-President M Venkaiah Naidu will launch an exhibition and cultural events a day before, Reddy told mediapersons here.

The event, aimed at showcasing the culture and unity of the country, will be attended by Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat and other dignitaries, the organisers said.

Groups from foreign countries, including those who follow pre-Abrahamic traditions, would also attend the event and perform dance and other cultural expositions. Yazidis, who faced attacks by ISIS, are also likely to attend the conference.

The three-day 70th National Conference of Akhil Bharatiya Vidya Parishad (ABVP) will begin in Gorakhpur from Friday.

The CEO of Zoho Corporation, Sridhar Vembu, will be the chief guest and will address students and faculty representatives at the inaugural session of the conference on November 22, according to a statement issued by ABVP, the student wing of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS).

– With PTI inputs