Shimla, May 23 (Reporter) The Himachal Pradesh High Court has transferred the investigation into the suspicious death of Vimal Negi, General Manager of Himachal Pradesh Power Corporation Limited (HPPCL), to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), citing serious lapses by state police and making significant observations about financial irregularities in HPPCL’s power projects, especially the Rs 220 crore Pekhwala Solar Project. In a 77-page judgement supplied to media here today Justice Ajay Mohan Goel pointed out in two pages that Negi was posted at the HPPCL headquarters in Shimla when he mysteriously disappeared during office hours on March 10, 2025. While ordering the CBI to take over the case, the court highlighted that Negi had flagged serious concerns over the financials of the Pekhwala Solar Project—a 32 MW installation for which HPPCL sanctioned a staggering Rs 220 crore. In comparison, a similar 135 MW project in Gujarat was approved at a much lower cost of Rs 144 crore. The court remarked that this glaring disparity could be a key factor behind the harassment he faced. In her petition, Negi’s wife specifically named HPPCL Managing Director and IAS Harikesh Meena, Director and IAS Shivam Pratap Singh, and Director Desh Raj as being responsible for mental torture that pushed her husband to a breakdown. She claimed that Negi had requested a transfer citing intense pressure to approve tainted projects, but the request was denied. The court strongly criticised the inaction of the Shimla Police, noting that despite a clear FIR registered on March 19, no arrests or interrogations of the named accused took place. Even after anticipatory bail was denied to one of the accused, Desh Raj, on March 26, he was neither arrested nor monitored. Further, the state failed to represent itself during his Supreme Court bail plea hearing on April 4, raising doubts about the government’s intent. “These facts reveal a deliberate inaction and reluctance on the part of the state police to conduct a fair, independent, and effective investigation,” the court noted. “It strengthens the suspicion of a cover-up involving influential figures in a state-run PSU.” The High Court also noted that the Special Investigation Team (SIT) made no effort to examine the financial and administrative dimensions of HPPCL’s decisions—especially those surrounding the cost escalation of the Pekhwala project. It observed that these could have been central to the motive behind the alleged harassment of Negi. Given these circumstances, the court concluded that only a central agency could ensure an impartial and thorough investigation into what could potentially be a broader network of corruption in Himachal Pradesh's power sector. His body was found eight days later in the Govind Sagar Lake of Bilaspur district. His wife filed a writ petition in the High Court alleging that Negi was driven to death by consistent mental harassment from senior HPPCL officials after he resisted clearing irregular project files, including those related to inflated project costs. The order for CBI inquiry marks a significant turning point in the case, potentially opening a larger investigation into how inflated tenders and pressure tactics may have played a role in a senior officer's death...////...