Shimla, Oct 30,
The Himachal Pradesh High Court on Thursday issued notices to the State government and the Kangra Cooperative Bank (KCB), seeking their response in connection with the alleged misuse of government funds during the Dehra Assembly by-election. The notice came following a CWPIL filed by BJP candidate Hoshiar Singh versus State, who contested the July 2024 by-election against Kamlesh Thakur, wife of Chief Minister Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu.
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The petitioner has alleged that the Kangra Cooperative Bank deposited three months’ worth of financial assistance from the Indira Gandhi Pyari Behna Sukh Samman Nidhi Scheme into the bank accounts of nearly 1,000 women and also transferred Rs 50,000 each to 67 women’s self-help groups within the Dehra Assembly constituency during the Model Code of Conduct period. Hoshiar Singh contended that this amounted to a gross violation of the Election Commission’s code and misuse of official machinery to influence voters.
The High Court, at the stage of notice before admission, directed both the State government and the management of the Kangra Cooperative Bank to file their replies before the next hearing on 11-12-2025. The case is likely to bring renewed political focus on the controversial fund transfers that have sparked debate both within and outside the Assembly.
Hoshiar Singh, who had earlier won as an independent MLA from Dehra and later joined the BJP, lost the July 2024 by-election to Kamlesh Thakur by a margin of 9,399 votes. The election followed his resignation along with two other independent MLAs—KL Thakur and Ashish Sharma—after they voted for the BJP candidate in the February 2024 Rajya Sabha election.
The alleged fund transfers have already echoed in the Himachal Pradesh Assembly. During the monsoon session, BJP MLAs Sudhir Sharma and Ashish Sharma demanded an explanation from the government, citing documents obtained through the RTI Act. However, the government had then refrained from making a detailed statement.
In a separate representation to Governor Shiv Pratap Shukla, Hoshiar Singh has also sought the disqualification of Kamlesh Thakur from the Assembly for six years, citing violation of electoral norms. The High Court’s notice has now added a fresh twist to the ongoing political tussle in the hill state.
