The North News
Shimla, October 30
The Himachal Pradesh High Court has issued notices to the state government and the Kangra Central Cooperative Bank over allegations of misuse of government machinery during the Dehra Assembly by-election.
The court acted on a public interest litigation (PIL) filed by former MLA and BJP candidate from Dehra, Hoshiar Singh Chambyal, who alleged that ₹50,000 each was distributed to women’s groups during the election period to benefit Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu’s wife, Kamlesh Thakur, who contested the bypoll.
According to the petition, the funds were allegedly disbursed through the Kangra Central Cooperative Bank (KCCB) in violation of the Model Code of Conduct, which was in force at the time. Chambyal claimed that around ₹35.5 lakh was distributed to nearly 67 women’s groups in the Dehra constituency, just days before voting, with the intention of influencing voters.
The petitioner has demanded a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) inquiry into the alleged irregularities.
Taking cognisance of the PIL, the High Court directed the Himachal Pradesh government and the Kangra Cooperative Bank to submit their responses by December 11. The court’s notice comes amid growing political tension in the region, with opposition parties accusing the ruling Congress government of using state institutions for electoral gains. The state government and the bank are yet to issue an official response to the allegations.
