The Punjab and Haryana High Court on Tuesday gave a major jolt to the Haryana Government, when it set aside the decision of the Manohar lal Government to remove Kamlesh Panchal and Suman Dahiya from the post of Chairperson and
Vice- Chairperson of the Haryana State Commission for Women.
Allowing a petition filed by the removed Chairperson and Vice-Chairperson, the Division Bench of Justice Mahesh Grover and Justice lisa Gill directed for the annulment of the orders removing the petitioners from their posts.
Both Kamlesh Panchal and Suman Dahiya were appointed during the previous Bhupinder Singh Hooda-led Congress Government. The Manohar lal Government had removed both the women authorities on August 4, 2015, following some allegedly controversial statements.
In their petition, the two had challenged the notification issued by the Haryana Governor on August 4, 2015, curtailing the tenure of nominated chairperson and nominated vice-chairperson with immediate effect.
The petitioners had said that their removal was politically motivated as they were appointed by the previous government.
In her petition Panchal had said that as per rules, the chairperson of the commission would hold the post for three years or till attaining the age of 65. She had argued that her appointment as chairperson of commission was made on May 22, 2014 and she was supposed to continue on the post till 2017.
The counsel for the petitioners, senior advocate Girish Agnihotri had argued that
sub-section (1) of Section 4 of the Haryana State Commission for Women Act, 2012, made it clear that chairperson and vice-chairperson was three years.
It also made it clear that the chairperson and the vice-chairperson would cease to hold the office on attaining the age of 65. He added the petitioners had neither completed three years in the office, nor had attained the age of 65.