The Himachal Pradesh High Court has sent notices to the state government and the Kangra Central Cooperative Bank (KCCB) over alleged misuse of funds during the Dehra Assembly bypoll.
Former BJP MLA Hoshiyar Singh claims that government money was distributed to women’s groups during the model code of conduct period to influence voters.
The court has asked both the government and the bank to reply by December 11 and may consider ordering an independent or CBI probe into the allegations.
The Himachal Pradesh High Court has issued notices to the state government and the Kangra Central Cooperative Bank (KCCB) after a petition alleged improper disbursement of government funds during the July 2024 by-poll in the Dehra Assembly constituency in Kangra district.
The petitioner, former MLA Hoshiyar Singh of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), who narrowly lost the election to Kamlesh Thakur, wife of Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, contends that funds were routed through KCCB to women’s groups in the midst of the model code of conduct period—specifically about ₹ 4,500 each to some 1,000 women under the “Indira Gandhi Pyari Behna Sukh Samman Nidhi Scheme” and ₹ 50,000 each to 67 women’s self-help groups. The petition calls this a “gross violation” of electoral norms.
The court has directed responses from the state government and the bank by December 11, 2025, and is considering ordering an independent investigation, possibly by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) or a retired judge, given the high-profile political implications.
