PIL challenges Nitish Kumar’s reappointment as CM of Bihar

New Delhi, Aug 19: A Public Interest Litigation (PIL) been filed at the Patna High Court, challenging Nitish Kumar's reappointment as the Chief Minister of the state for the eighth time.

A Patna-based social activist Dharmsheela Devi and Supreme Court lawyer Varun Sinha filed the PIL claiming that his reappointment is "against the parliamentary democracy," IANS reported.

"The act of Nitish Kumar is against the parliamentary democracy and basic principle of the Constitution. It is also a violation of basic features of the Constitution," Devi opined.

"Nitish Kumar resigned from the post of chief minister, left the majority collegiums and formed the government with minority collegiums. Under the article 163 and 164, the governor of Bihar may have objected to the reappointment of Nitish Kumar again but he didn't do so," she said.

According to the PIL, the BJP and JD(U) were given the mandate by the people to rule the state 2025, she added.

Nitish Kumar who heads the JD(U) took oath for a record eighth time last week, as head of the 'Mahagathbandhan' (grand alliance) which it had dumped in 2015, to join hands with the BJP.

The newly formed cabinet in Bihar expanded on Tuesday when 31 ministers took oath, with the RJD getting a lion's share, and care having been taken to represent all sections of the society, including the minorities.

Among the ministers who took oath, 16 were from RJD, 11 from Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's JD(U), two from Congress, one from ex-CM Jitan Ram Manjhi's Hindustani Awam Morcha (HAM) and one Independent.