Important Institutions Of Himachal Pradesh (Prelims)

Himachal Pradesh Public Service Commission:

• Establishment: 25th January
• First Chairman: General (Retd.) K. S. Katoch.
• Present Chairman: Gen. (Retd) DVS Rana.
• Only women Chairman: Bimla Bhagat
• In 1985, the strength of members was increased from two to
• Location: Nigam Vihar (Chotta Shimla)
• At present direct recruitment of Class-I & Class-II posts of different departments is done by the the Commission.

Himachal Pradesh Institute Of Public Administration

• Established on January 1,
• Location: FAIRLAWNS Circuit House (It was originally constructed by R. Dixon. Later, it was purchased by Nawab Muzaffar Ali Khan Quizzalbash of Malerkotla. On his migration to Pakistan in 1947 , the property came to the Government of Punjab State).
• First Director: K. Sharma.
• Current Director: P.Verma.
• Responsibility: a) Foundation Course for Direct recruits to the gazette posts under HP Govt; b) Personal course for IAS officers, HPAS officers and BDOs.

HP LOKAYUKTA

• Himachal Pradesh Lokayukta Act was firstly passed in 1983.
• Justice V.R. Tattachari was appointed as first Lokayukta of Himachal Pradesh on 17 August 1983.
• Himachal legislative assembly again re- enacted Lokayukta Act in 2014 after repealing 1983
• Currently post of Lokyayukta is vacant.
• Lokayukta investigates cases of corruption, where sustained recommend action. He is a great check on corruption, brings about transparency in the system, makes administrative machinery citizen friendly.

Important Highlights of Lokyayukta Act 2014:

• There is a provision of a three-member body instead of one member.
• The chairperson should be a person who has been a judge of the Supreme Court or chief justice of a high court, while other members should have a judicial background. They should be a former high court judge or district judge with 10 years’ experience. The members should be people of “impeccable integrity and outstanding ability”, with special knowledge and expertise of minimum 25 years in anti-corruption
• Committee of appointment: Chief Minister, Vidhan Sabha speaker, leader of opposition, high court chief justice and an eminent
• Jurisdiction: Chief minister, ministers, legislators, former legislators, public servants, government employees, boards, corporations, companies, societies, trust, autonomous bodies set up by Centre or
• Exclusion: Lokayukta cannot hold inquiries against central government employees, without the central government’s
• Inquiry wing: The Lokayukta have a separate inquiry wing headed by director of inquiries for conducting preliminaries inquiries against public servants. Staff and officers will be given by the state government. The inquiry wing will have all the powers of a civil court, and can summon any person or requisition any public record. The Lokayukta shall not inquire into or investigate any complaint filed seven years after the offence is committed.

• The act emphasises that the complaint be accompanied by an affidavit. The Lokayukta have powers to initiate an inquiry against any public servant by its inquiry wing.
• There is a provision for special courts. The state government to constitute special courts on the recommendation of Lokayukta to hear and decide corruption cases. The courts will ensure completion of each trial within one
• This act makes a provision for attachment and confiscation of property acquired by corrupt means till the completion of The Lokayukta, on receipt of complaint, will complete preliminary inquiry within 90 days. In case the Lokayukta decides to proceed to investigate the complaint, it shall direct any agency to carry out the investigation, to be completed within six months. The Loklayukta will have powers to provisionally attach the assets of accused facing inquiry. The Lokayukta will not inquire into complaints against its members.
• The Lokayukta will have all powers of the civil court, under the code of civil procedure, while trying a suit.
• The chairperson and members shall be removed by the Governor on grounds of misbehaviour after the high court, on a reference being made to it by governors on a petition signed by at least 25 members of the legislative assembly.

Himachal Pradesh State Consumer Commission And District Forum:

• The Government of India enacted a Statue through Parliament named as Consumer Protection Act, 1986. Its implementation was left to the State Governments.
• In Himachal Pradesh, the State Government has established the State Commission and a District Forum in the first instance with its headquarters at State Capital Shimla which started functioning w.e.f. 01.11.1989 and also the H.P. State Consumer Protection Council was
• The First President of State Commission was Justice V. P. Gupta a retired Judge of Himachal Pradesh High court

During March,1995, the State Government established two more whole time District Forums one at Mandi and the other at Kangra at Dharamshala in addition to one at Shimla which was already functioning as whole time District Forum. The Jurisdiction of these District Forums was notified as under:

• Shimla District Forum: Shimla, Solan, Sirmour and Kinnaur
• Mandi District Forum: Mandi, Kullu, Lahaul Spiti, Bilaspur Hamirpur and Una
• Kangra District Forum, at Dharamshala: Kangra , Chamba and Una

The State Government during the year 1997, set up another whole time District Forum, at Una with its jurisdiction for the Districts of Una, Hamirpur and Bilaspur. With the opening of this District Forum, the jurisdiction of all the whole time District Forums, is as under:-

• Shimla District Forum : Shimla, Sirmour and Kinnaur
• Mandi District Forum: Mandi, Kullu, and Lahaul Spiti Districts.
• Una District Forum: Una , Hamirpur and Bilaspur
• Kangra District Forum at Dharamshala : Kangra, Solan and Chamba Districts.

Himachal Pradesh High Court:

• The Central Government promulgated the Himachal Pradesh (Courts) Order, 1948 on 15th August, 1948. Under this order, Court of Judicial Commissioner was established for Himachal Pradesh and such Court was housed at “Harvingtan” (Kelston area, Shimla).
• It was vested with the powers of a High Court under the Judicial Commissioner’s Court Act,
• Besides the Court of Judicial Commissioner, two Courts of District and Sessions Judges and 27 subordinate Courts were also set
• The Himachal Pradesh attained the Statehood in the year, 1971, and established its own High Court with Headquarters at “Revenswood“, Shimla, having one Hon’ble the Chief Justice and two Hon’ble
• First Chief Justice: H. Beg
• First Women Chief Justice : Leela
• Highest Tenure(As Chief Justice): Justice R.S Pathak( Six years)
• Shortest Tenure: Justice Shashikant Seth(7 Days)
• Presently, strength of the Judges of the High Court of Himachal Pradesh is thirteen including the Chief Justice whereas nine are the sitting Judges including Hon’ble the Chief Justice.