Shimla, May 20: The Himachal Pradesh High Court on Tuesday took a tough stand in the case surrounding the mysterious death of HPPCL Chief Engineer Vimal Negi, as it reviewed the latest status report and sealed cover documents submitted by the state police and senior officials.
Hearing CWP, Kiran Negi vs. State of HP and others), Justice Ajay Mohan Goel ordered that the affidavit filed by the Additional Chief Secretary (Home) be taken on record, and directed the Registry to provide a copy to the petitioner’s counsel and the Advocate General’s office.
A sealed status report submitted by the Director General of Police—comprising 20 pages and 134 pages of annexures—was opened in court, taken on record, and ordered to be shared with the petitioner’s counsel and the Advocate General.
In a notable development, the Court also perused the Final Enquiry Report submitted by the Additional Chief Secretary (Home) to the Government of Himachal Pradesh on April 8, 2025, prepared in compliance with the Power Department's directions dated March 19, 2025.
The report was presented in court by Advocate General Anup Rattan but has not yet been made public.
Senior Advocate R.K. Bawa, representing petitioner Kiran Negi, requested that a copy of the Final Enquiry Report be shared with the petitioner.
However, the Advocate General opposed the plea, stating that the report is still under government consideration. The court will decide on this issue in the next hearing.
In a significant direction, the Court clarified that the police shall not file a challan in the case without the court's permission, underlining the court's intent to closely monitor the investigation.
The matter is now listed for further hearing on May 21, 2025.
Present in court:
For the petitioner: Senior Advocate R.K. Bawa with Advocates Ajay Kumar Sharma and Vivekanand
For the State: Advocate General Anup Rattan with Additional Advocate General Pushpener Jaswal
For HPPCL: Advocate Hamender Chandel
In person: J.N. Upadhyay, Joint Secretary (Home), Govt. of Himachal Pradesh.
The Court's actions indicate a deepening scrutiny into the circumstances of Vimal Negi’s death.
