Shimla, June 3 (Reporter) The Himachal Pradesh High Court has listed Superintendent of Police (SP) Shimla Sanjeev Gandhi’s Criminal Miscellaneous Petition (CMP) for hearing on June 5. The plea, filed in Gandhi’s personal capacity, challenges the May 23 order of Justice Ajay Mohan Goel, which transferred the investigation into the mysterious death of Vimal Negi to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). The case would be heard by a division bench comprising Chief Justice Gurmeet Singh Sandhawalia and Justice Ranjan Sharma. The High Court registry had received Gandhi’s amended petition on June 2, which had originally been moved on May 30 in the form of a Letters Patent Appeal (LPA). However, due to procedural defects, that appeal was earlier withdrawn and has now been refiled as a fresh Criminal Miscellaneous Petition in personal capacity. Advocate Jagdish Thakur, appearing for Sanjeev Gandhi, confirmed the development. “The amended CMP, moved in Mr. Gandhi’s personal capacity, has now been accepted and listed for hearing. "We are seeking to overturn the single bench order directing a CBI probe into the Vimal Negi case, and we hope for a fair hearing on June 5,” he said. The previous LPA filed in Gandhi’s official capacity as SP Shimla had been returned by the registry with multiple objections. It was not routed through the advocate general, lacked a mandatory clause regarding the law department’s approval, and included illegible pages. These defects led to its withdrawal, prompting Gandhi to refile the matter afresh in his personal name. In his petition, SP Gandhi has alleged that transferring the probe to the CBI could undermine the investigation, especially considering his active role in several politically sensitive cases — including the alleged cash-for-vote scandal during the 2024 Rajya Sabha elections, the Himachal Rasoi LPG blast, and the 2019 police recruitment scam. He has contended that despite his action on his part to register an FIR in the recruitment scam, the CBI has not taken meaningful action for over two years. The controversy escalated following a viral video clip of court proceedings on May 21, in which Justice Goel was seen expressing concern over internal conflict between Gandhi and DGP Atul Verma. The clip, circulated by BJP MLA Sudhir Sharma, triggered a political storm. On May 24, SP Gandhi filed CMP No. 11747/2025 seeking legal action against Sharma and social media platforms for allegedly maligning his image. The High Court, however, dismissed that plea on May 28, stating it had become of no legal effect after disposing of the original writ. As the matter heads for its next hearing on June 5, the legal battle over the handling of the Vimal Negi death case continues to deepen the political and institutional divide in the state. Vimal Negi, chief Engineer of Himachal Pradesh Power Corporation Limited went missing on March 10 from his office and his dead body was recovered from Bhakhra Dam in Bilaspur on March 18. Wife of Vimal Negi accused senior officers of HPPCL of involvement in the death case of her husband seeking criminal cases against them...////...