The Government of Sikkim, officially recognized as the State Government of Sikkim, serves as the administrative executive authority for the Indian state of Sikkim and its six districts. It was established by the Indian National Constitution, which vested it with legislative, executive, and judicial powers to govern the state. While the Governor holds the position of the head of state and the highest executive authority nominally, the de facto head of government and chief executive is the Chief Minister. The state’s capital is Gangtok, housing the Vidhan Sabha (Legislative Assembly), the secretariat, and the Sikkim High Court. Sikkim’s Legislative Assembly is currently unicameral, comprising 32 Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLAs). The term of the assembly is five years unless dissolved earlier.
The Government of Sikkim follows a standard state government structure. It includes a unicameral legislature, a governor appointed by the President of India, a chief minister with executive authority, and a council of ministers. Throughout the state’s history, its leaders have played a pivotal role in governing. Sikkim’s political landscape is often characterized by the influence of its leaders. Notably, Kazi Lhendhup Dorjee, the leader of the Sikkim Congress, secured 31 seats and served as both the leader of the house and the state’s inaugural chief minister. Pawan Kumar Chamling and his party held power from 1999 to 2014. Over time, the state government and its politics have begun to make an impact on the national stage.
The Sikkim government has taken action based on the recommendations of the Justice N K Verma Commission report, which pertains to the case of student leader Padam Gurung’s death earlier this year. As a result, two police officers have been suspended, and a former Superintendent of Police (SP) in Namchi has been issued a show-cause notice. According to Chief Secretary V B Pathak, the government has suspended the former Namchi Station House Officer (SHO) Dawa Lhamu Pakhrin and Sub-Inspector Siddharth Subba due to concerns about their conduct during the initial investigation into Gurung’s death.
Former Namchi SP Manish Kumar Verma has been issued a show-cause notice for what is perceived as inadequate supervision of the case. Padam Gurung, a 23-year-old student leader, was discovered dead in a drain in the Kazitar area of Namchi on June 28, one day after he went missing. The state government had established the Jain Commission to investigate the student leader’s death. The Jain Commission’s report concluded that Gurung’s death was “accidental.” The former Chief Justice of the Sikkim High Court submitted his report on the Gurung death case to Chief Minister Prem Singh Tamang on Wednesday.