Himachal Pradesh HC transfers the probe into the death of HPPCL chief engineer Vimal Negi to CBI
CHANDIGARH: In a setback to the Congress-led Himachal Pradesh government, the State High Court on Friday handed over the probe into the mysterious death of Himachal Pradesh Power Corporation Limited chief engineer Vimal Negi to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). His body was found in Gobind Sagar Lake on March 18.
A single bench of the High Court, led by Justice Ajay Goyal, on Wednesday accepted a petition by Vimal Negi's wife, Kiran Negi, and ordered the transfer of the probe from the Himachal Police SIT, headed by Shimla SP Sanjeev Gandhi, to the CBI.
R K Bawa, the advocate for the petitioner, said the court accepted the family's plea that the state police was not conducting a fair investigation and directed that no Himachal Pradesh officer be involved in the probe.
"From day 1, Kiran was not satisfied with the probe by the SIT. Accepting our plea, the court has directed that no Himachal-cadre officer will be part of the CBI investigation. The government failed to act on the report of the additional chief secretary (Home and Revenue), Onkar Chand, in which he indicted officers accused by the family of misbehaviour. The government withheld his report. The SIT was biased and only looked into the medical history of the victim," the counsel stated.
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