Yog Raj Sharma
The North News
Shimla, June 16
The Himachal Pradesh High Court on Monday directed the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to submit a status report within four weeks in the Chief Engineer Vimal Negi death case. The CBI, however, has sought six weeks to file the report, but the court has insisted on adherence to the four-week timeline.The directive follows the court’s earlier decision to hand over the case to the central agency, citing dissatisfaction with the state police’s investigation.
On May 23, the High Court transferred the case to the CBI after expressing concern over the lack of progress made by the Shimla police in the two months since Negi’s death. The court noted that the local police had failed to produce significant leads and criticised the direction of the investigation, which it said had strayed from its core focus.
Following the court’s order, the Himachal Pradesh government on May 26 directed three top officials — Director General of Police Atul Verma, Additional Chief Secretary (Home) Onkar Sharma, and Shimla Superintendent of Police Sanjeev Gandhi — to proceed on leave. This move came as part of the effort to ensure a free and fair inquiry by the CBI.
The court also ruled that no officer from the Himachal Pradesh cadre should be part of the CBI team, further highlighting the need for independence in the investigation.
The decision to involve the CBI followed a plea by Vimal Negi’s wife, Kiran Negi, who had expressed doubts about the impartiality of the police probe. Her petition underscored serious concerns about the handling of the case by local authorities.
Status reports submitted to the court by the Additional Chief Secretary and the Director General of Police flagged serious allegations against Harikesh Meena, the then Managing Director of the Himachal Pradesh Power Corporation, and Desh Raj, a suspended director.
The High Court questioned the intent and effectiveness of the Shimla police and found merit in Kiran Negi’s plea, citing the potential for bias and misdirection in the earlier investigation.
