The BJP govt had honored the veteran Congress leader – Pratapsingh Rane – for his 50 years as MLA by providing the “lifetime status of the rank of Cabinet minister”. Pratapsingh Rane is a six-time Chief Minister of Goa and a legislator for a full 50 years.
| Utility: UPSC, JPSC, BPSC Prelims & Mains Section: Polity(Governance): Cabinet Ministers |
Key Points
- A case in the HC now says this move violated the 91st Amendment.
- Goa has a 12-member Cabinet, and the conferment of Cabinet status on Rane results in the number of Cabinet ranks rising to 13.
- This exceeds the ceiling mandated by the Constitution. There are 40 seats in the unicameral Goa Assembly.
- The Constitution (91st Amendment) Act, 2003 inserted clause 1A in Article 164.
- The 91st Amendment states that the total number of Ministers shall not exceed fifteen per cent of the total number of members of the Legislative Assembly of that state.
- PIL says that with the inclusion of Pratap Singh Rane, the number of cabinet miniters become equal to 13.
- This exceeds the 15% limit.
