Chandigarh: The Punjab and Haryana High Court on Tuesday dismissed the petition of former chairperson of Punjab State Commission for Women, Manisha Gulati, who had challenged the state government's decision to remove her from the post. The Bhagwant Mann-led APP government had removed Gulati from her post by terminating her extension order with immediate effect on March 11. Following which Gulati had moved court against the Punjab government, claiming that the order was illegal and erroneous.
The department of women and child development, in its termination order, stated that there is no provision in the Punjab State Commission for Women Act, 2001 to extend the tenure of the chairperson or members of the commission. It said that as per the norms the commission's chairperson's tenure is for three years and the vacancy has to be filled up before the tenure ends.
Earlier, in February, when the government had removed her from the post, Gulati had approached the High Court and got relief. Following which, the government had to withdraw its order and reinstate her. Gulati was appointed in 2018 by the Captain Amarinder Singh-led Congress government. The AAP-led government had extended her tenure in 2021 till 2024. Gulati is considered to be a close aide of Captain Amarinder Singh's MP wife Parneet Kaur. She joined the BJP at Prime Minister Narendra Modi's rally in February, 2022 ahead of the assembly elections in the state.
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Gulati is active on social media and even has a fan page on Facebook. Gulati courted controversy last year after she sought clarification from Punjab chief minister Charanjit Singh Channi over an alleged sexual harassment case. She had also alleged that the government disapproved of her popularity on the social media.
