The Supreme Court declined to entertain a PIL on Monday challenging the practice of appointing deputy chief ministers, asserting that it does not breach the Constitution.
A bench of CJI DY Chandrachud along with Justices J B Pardiwala and Manoj Misra stated, ‘this is just a label and even if you call someone a deputy chief minister, it does not change the status.”
The PIL was filed by the Public Political Party. “A deputy CM is first and foremost a minister in the government of the state and this does not breach the Constitution,” the bench said, adding that it does not create a class in itself.The lawyer representing the PIL petitioner argued that states are setting an improper precedent by appointing deputy chief ministers, contending that this action infringes Article 14 (right to equality) of the Constitution. However, the bench stated that such appointments do not breach any constitutional provisions.