Himachal High Court orders CBI investigation into engineer's death

The Himachal Pradesh High Court on Friday transferred the probe into the death of state Power Corporation Limited chief engineer Vimal Negi, whose body was found under mysterious circumstances in the Gobind Sagar Lake in Bilaspur district on March 18, to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

A single-bench of the high court comprising Justice Ajay Goyal, which reserved its judgement in the case on Wednesday, accepted a petition filed by Negi’s wife and ordered to transfer the investigation to the CBI.

The court also said that no officer of Himachal Pradesh cadre be associated with the probe, R K Bawa, advocate for the petitioner, said.

A copy of the judgment is awaited.

Negi went missing on March 10 and his body was found on March 18.

His wife Kiran Negi had alleged that her husband was tortured by his superior officials for the past six months, who also misbehaved with him.

She also alleged that her husband was forced to work till late at night even when he was ill.

Appearing for the state, Advocate General Anup Rattan said, “While we are not averse to any investigation by any party, the probe carried out by the SIT was fair and transparent. As of now, we will not file an appeal challenging the (high court) order." During the hearing on Wednesday, DGP Atul Verma raised questions on the “impartiality” of the probe by the special investigation team (SIT), even as Rattan defended the SIT investigation, saying it was being conducted properly without any bias.

Welcoming the court order, former chief minister and Leader of Opposition in the Vidhan Sabha, Jai Ram Thakur, said now the matter will be investigated impartially and the truth will come out.

After Negi was found dead on March 18, his family members sat on a dharna outside the Himachal Pradesh Power Corporation Limited’s (HPPCL) office in Shimla with the body the next day, demanding a CBI inquiry into the matter.

Subsequently, a case of abetment to suicide and joint criminal liability under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) was registered against the director (electrical) and managing director of the HPPCL.