Supreme Court defers hearing in HPPCL GM Vimal Negi death case, Bail protection for Des Raj extended

The Supreme Court on Thursday deferred the hearing of a Special Leave Petition (SLP) filed by Des Raj, former Additional General Manager of Himachal Pradesh Power Corporation Limited (HPPCL), who is facing allegations in the mysterious death case of his junior officer and Chief Engineer Vimal Negi. The matter has now been scheduled for hearing on November 11, 2025.

A division bench of the Supreme Court comprising Justice Ahsanuddin Amanullah and  Justice S.V.N. Bhatti, in its interim order, directed that “the bail protection of Des Raj would continue” until the next date of hearing. The SLP challenges the Himachal Pradesh High Court’s order rejecting his anticipatory bail application.

Des Raj, along with another former Chief Engineer, Harikesh Meena, was booked by Himachal Pradesh Police in March this year following allegations by Vimal Negi’s wife, Kiran Negi. She accused them of harassing and forcing her husband to take an extreme step. The case is now being investigated by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

While the Supreme Court has granted interim protection to Des Raj, the bail granted to Harikesh Meena by a single-judge bench of the Himachal Pradesh High Court is also slated for hearing soon.

So far, the CBI has not sought custody of either accused, despite the case being under its investigation for the past five months. This has raised questions about the progress of the probe, especially since the main accused remain out of custody.

In a related development, the CBI is expected to approach the Himachal Pradesh High Court to seek further custody of Police ADI Pankaj Kumar, who is currently in judicial custody. Kumar was arrested by state police and later placed under house arrest after allegedly deleting important files from a pen drive recovered from the residence of the deceased Vimal Negi. The pen drive was found at the Sadar Police Station in Shimla.

Advocates Astha Singh is representing the petitioner, while the respondents—State of Himachal Pradesh, CBI, and Kiran Negi—are being represented by Sugandha Anand, Mukesh Kumar Maroria, and Rana Ranjit Singh, respectively.

As the legal proceedings unfold, all eyes are on the CBI’s next move—whether it will seek custody of the accused or proceed with charges based on available evidence.