The Himachal Pradesh High Court on Thursday issued notices to the state government and the Kangra Central Cooperative Bank (KCCB) on a petition filed by BJP candidate Hoshiyar Singh, alleging misuse of government funds during the Dehra assembly bypoll held in July 2024.
A division bench of the High Court sought responses from both the state and the KCCB after Hoshiyar Singh, who had contested and lost the bypoll to Kamlesh Thakur, wife of Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, by around 9,400 votes, claimed that public funds were misused to influence voters.
According to the petition, the bank allegedly disbursed money to Mahila Mandals (women’s groups) even without any formal requests, purportedly to woo voters ahead of the election. Singh’s counsel, advocate Vikrant Thakur, stated that the High Court issued the notice based on the grounds presented in the plea.
The petitioner has urged the court to direct an inquiry by an independent agency such as the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) or by a sitting or retired judge, arguing that the allegations concern the wife of the sitting Chief Minister and therefore require impartial scrutiny.
The court’s notice marks the first judicial step in the case, which questions the possible involvement of a state-run cooperative bank in electoral activities. The matter will now be listed for further hearing after the respondents file their replies.
