No pension for defected MLAs: Himachal Pradesh Govt passes Bill under anti-defection law

In a move aimed at curbing defection among legislators, the Congress-led Himachal Pradesh government passed a bill on Wednesday to stop pension of members disqualified under the anti-defection law, Times Now has reported.

The bill, which was passed amid strong opposition from BJP legislators, seeks to end the pension benefits of MLAs who are disqualified due to defection.

The Himachal Pradesh Legislative Assembly (Allowances and Pension of Members) Amendment Bill 2024 was introduced by Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on Tuesday.


"A person shall not be entitled for pension under the Act, if he has been disqualified at any point of time under the tenth schedule of the Constitution (anti-defection law)," the Bill states.

The move comes after six Congress MLAs—Sudhir Sharma, Ravi Thakur, Rajinder Rana, Inder Dutt Lakhanpal, Chetanya Sharma, and Devinder Kumar—were disqualified under the anti-defection law in February.

Their disqualification came after they defied the party whip by abstaining from the house during the passing of the 2024-25 budget and the discussions on a cut motion.