Himachal HC rejects bail plea of HPPCL director in death of chief engineer case

     Shimla, Mar 26 (PTI) The Himachal Pradesh High Court on Wednesday rejected the bail plea of Himachal Pradesh Power Corporation Limited (HPPCL) director (electrical) who has been booked for abetment to suicide after the death of the corporation's chief engineer.
     HPPCL's Chief Engineer Vimal Negi went missing on March 10 and his body was found in Bilaspur on March 18. The relatives of the deceased sat on a dharna outside the HPPCL office in Shimla with the body the next day.
     Negi's wife alleged that her husband was tortured by the superior officers for the past six months and seniors also misbehaved with him. Negi was intentionally forced to work late night even during illness, she said.
     A case of abetment to suicide and joint criminal liability under BNS was registered on Wednesday against HPPCL Director (Electrical) Desh Raj and Managing Director (MD) Harikesh Meena.
     Desh Raj was suspended while Harikesh Meena was transferred.
     The bail plea of Desh Raj who was named in the FIR filed by the family members of the deceased chief engineer was dismissed by the single bench of Justice Virender Singh.
     Desh Raj, in a bail application filed on March 21, had stated that he was falsely implicated and there is no direct or indirect evidence connecting him with the alleged crime.
     Desh Raj is currently absconding.
     The prosecution argued that the investigation of the case was still in the preliminary stage in which the police had collected some crucial evidence along with the CCTV footage.
     Several people had mentally harassed Vimal Negi over some financial dealings due to which his mental health had deteriorated and he was seen in a disturbed condition in his office before his death, the prosecution added.
     According to the status report submitted by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) in the case, biometric records confirm that the deceased was compelled to remain in office until midnight and work over 10 hours daily.
     It said Rajiv Thakur, Desh Raj's personal assistant, had disclosed during investigation that the chief engineer was under significant stress due to the extension of time for Pekhubela Project.
     The 32-MW Pekhubela solar power project in Himachal's Una district has been developed by HPPCL. The project, completed at a cost of Rs 220 crore, was formally inaugurated in June 2024.

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)