Shimla, August 22, 2026: The Himachal Pradesh High Court has ordered an immediate halt to all construction activity on a 144-metre link road connecting the Shimla-Mandi road with Schilthorn Top near Baldeyan in the Mashobra Range, following allegations that the project was being executed primarily to provide road connectivity to the house of a private individual.
A Division Bench comprising Chief Justice G.S. Sandhawalia and Justice Bipin C. Negi issued notices to the State and other respondents while hearing a Public Interest Litigation challenging the construction.
The Court noted that the road had initially been justified on the ground that it would benefit around 245 residents of Village Sadhora and that the proposed alignment through forest land had consequently been approved.
However, the petitioner alleged that the road was not actually serving the larger public interest but was being constructed to connect the residence of a private respondent with the main road. It was also submitted before the Court that a large number of trees had been felled for the 144-metre stretch.
The Bench also took note of an earlier PIL filed by the same petitioner, in which the Court, on May 11, 2026, had restrained deployment of machinery if there was no valid sanction for the work.
During the hearing, it was argued that the permission for the road had been granted on the basis of an incorrect assumption that Village Sadhora was located on the hilltop. According to the petitioner, the village is actually situated below the existing road and the proposed construction was primarily intended to facilitate the private respondent.
The High Court has now directed that no further construction activity be undertaken on the road with immediate effect.
The matter has been listed for further hearing on September 15, 2026, along with the earlier PIL.
The order brings under judicial scrutiny the justification for using forest land and felling trees for a short road stretch where the alleged public purpose has been disputed.
