Shimla, April 22 —The Himachal Pradesh High Court has fired a sharp warning shot at babudom in the long‑running Wildflower Hall dispute, ordering Principal Secretary (Tourism) Devesh Kumar to cough up ₹50,000 for trying to walk back a promise already given to the Bench.
What triggered the rap?
On 27 March the Advocate‑General had assured Justice Jyotsna Rewal Dua that the State was fine with Oberoi‑promoted EIH Ltd. transferring its shares—after two pending pleas were settled.
A fortnight later, Kumar landed an affidavit labelling that assurance an “inadvertent mistake.” The judge called it a “mis‑directed and disrespectful adventure,” tossed the plea, and pinned the cost on the officer.
Why it stings
The AG is the State’s top law officer; telling the court he “misspoke” isn’t just bad form, it flirts with contempt.
The Wildflower Hall case—born in arbitration (2005) and blessed by the Supreme Court this February—already has a hard deadline: 31 March 2025 for EIH to hand the iconic hotel back to the State.
Every detour burns public time and money.
Unless Finance recovers the penalty from Kumar’s own pocket, taxpayers foot the bill for bureaucratic brinkmanship.
Bigger pattern
From review petitions to fresh affidavits, departments keep tossing legal spanners whenever a politically awkward order lands. Friday’s ruling signals that the Bench has had enough: undertakings bind the State, full stop.
Takeaway
₹50,000 is small change in government ledgers, but the phrase now etched into the order—“disrespectful adventure”—may haunt any officer tempted to treat courtrooms like extension counters of the Secretariat.
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