HP Govt’s RERA woes continue as HC stays office shift to Dharamshala
Shimla, July 16,
Even after rushing to appoint a Chairperson and Member to the Himachal Pradesh Real Estate Regulatory Authority (HP RERA), the Sukhu government faced another judicial setback on Wednesday when the High Court stayed its decision to shift the RERA office from Shimla to Dharamshala.
A division bench of Chief Justice G.S. Sandhawalia and Justice Ranjan Sharma, which was hearing connected PILs on RERA appointments and the extension of Chief Secretary Prabodh Saxena, granted an interim stay on the proposed relocation.
The order came after the petitioner argued that the case load before RERA in Shimla is significantly higher than Dharamshala, and that only 12–13 employees are posted in Shimla, making the transfer unnecessary and impractical.
“The present communication regarding shifting of the office of H.P. RERA dated 04.06.2025 and 21.06.2025 be placed on record,” the bench observed while directing the stay.
This comes a day after the state government informed the court that it had appointed former Chief Secretary R.D. Dhiman as RERA Chairperson and retired IAS Amit Kashyap as Member through a notification dated June 24, just ahead of the June 25 deadline imposed by the court.
Earlier, the court had slapped a ₹5 lakh penalty on the government for delaying these appointments and had warned that Chief Secretary Saxena would have to appear personally if compliance was not made by June 25. Although the government sought waiver of the penalty, the bench issued notice to the petitioner instead, leaving the fine issue open for consideration on July 23.
The PIL also challenges the extension of Chief Secretary Saxena, citing a pending CBI chargesheet against him and alleging suppression of facts while obtaining approval from the Centre.
With the court now restraining the relocation of RERA to Dharamshala and keeping the cost waiver plea pending, the Sukhu government continues to face judicial heat over statutory compliance, administrative decisions, and transparency issues. The matter will be heard next on July 23.
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