The Punjab and Haryana High Court adjourned today the hearing on an appeal filed by the Punjab government against the order of a single bench that had set aside the appointment of Suresh Kumar as the Chief Principal Secretary to Punjab Chief Minister.
The division bench of Justices Rajesh Bindal and Deepak Sibal adjourned the matter to July 11, said the petitioner's counsel Gurminder Singh.
The case was adjourned after senior advocate P Chidambaram, appearing on the state's behalf, sought at least two hours for presenting his arguments in the matter. Then the bench fixed the next date after summer vacations, said Singh.
On January 17, a single bench of Punjab and Haryana High Court had set aside the appointment of Suresh Kumar as the Chief Principal Secretary to Punjab Chief Minister, saying the retired IAS officer was holding public office "without authority of law".
Petitioner Ramandeep Singh, a Mohali resident, had moved the high court last year, claiming Kumar's appointment was against the constitutional scheme and accepted norms.
A division bench of Punjab and Haryana High court, on February 14, had stayed the operation of the order of the single bench.
The Punjab government had filed an appeal, and challenged the single-bench order. The state had maintained it has "unequivocal powers" to make contractual appointments.
Kumar, considered close to Chief Minister Amarinder Singh, was appointed after the Congress came to power in the state last March.
A 1983-batch officer, Kumar retired in 2016 as additional chief secretary. He had served at many positions in the state as well as at the Centre on deputation.
Kumar had also served as principal secretary to the chief minister during Singh's previous tenure of 2002-2007.
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