Kerala HC rejects plea against ministers' personal staff appointment

The Kerala High Court on Thursday declined to interfere in a petition challenging the rules for the appointment of the personal staff of ministers, citing that it was a policy matter of the government.

However, the court observed that a limit should be fixed on the number of personal staff for the chief minister, ministers, chief whip and the opposition leader.

The court order comes as a relief to the CPM government in Kerala, as Governor Arif Mohammed Khan had recently stated that paying lifetime pensions to personal staff members of ministers was a misuse of public money and he would move against it.

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Khan also alleged that personal staff members were changed after two years to ensure that more party cadres were made personal staff and entitled to a lifetime pension.

The court decision came on a public interest litigation which stated that the Kerala government was spending at least Rs 80 crore per annum on pension to personal staff members apart from Rs 40 crore on salaries and allowances.