Shimla: In a significant development, the Himachal Pradesh High Court has transferred the investigation into the mysterious death of Vimal Negi, Chief Engineer with the Himachal Pradesh Power Corporation Limited (HPPCL), to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).
The high court acted on a petition filed by Vimal Negi’s wife Kiran Negi, who had expressed a lack of faith in the investigation being conducted by the Shimla police.
Vimal Negi was found dead under suspicious circumstances as his body was recovered from the Gobind Sagar Dam in Bilaspur about 10 days after he went missing from Shimla. While initial investigations leaned towards suicide, Vimal Negi’s family contested this theory, alleging foul play and inconsistencies in the probe.
Kiran Negi moved the Himachal Pradesh High Court seeking a CBI inquiry, citing alleged tampering with crucial evidence and a lack of impartiality in the local police’s handling of the case.
Himachal DGP nails own dept team in report
The affidavit filed by Director General of Police (DGP) Atul Verma raised serious questions about the conduct of the Shimla police and the Special Investigation Team (SIT) assigned to the case. The DGP’s report highlighted procedural lapses and contradictions in the investigation, suggesting that the probe appeared to be skewed towards establishing suicide rather than exploring other possibilities.
One of the most disturbing revelations was regarding a pen drive recovered from Vimal Negi’s pocket, which was allegedly kept by an ASI in his own pocket instead of submitting it as evidence.
Shimla SP Sanjeev Gandhi later informed the high court that he personally discovered this mishandling and subsequently suspended the officer involved. This incident further cast doubt on the integrity of the investigation.
Justice Ajay Mohan Goel, who heard the matter, observed that internal conflict between top officials — the DGP and SP Shimla — was impeding the course of justice. He emphasised that justice must not only be done but also seen to be done. The judge remarked that the visible discord between the officials could delay justice, and reserved the order after hearing all parties.
During the hearing, Advocate Rajeev Roy, representing the petitioner, pointed out the contradictory reports filed by the DGP and the SP, suggesting a blame game rather than a collaborative probe. Senior Advocate RK Bawa, also appearing in the matter, argued that critical evidence had either been tampered with or not preserved properly, leading to legitimate concerns about the fairness of the ongoing investigation.
Taking note of the discrepancies, contradictions and serious procedural lapses, the Himachal High Court deemed handed over the investigation to the CBI.
Sunil Chadha
