Traffic was partially disrupted after a massive landslide occurred near Kumarhatti on the Kumarhatti-Solan stretch of the National Highway No. 5 on Monday afternoon.

A large quantity of soil and boulders fell down the hill, blocking access to some flats located uphill.

The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), which has four-laned the highway, directed the contractor concerned to rush labourers and machinery to the site to clear the debris.

Project Director, NHAI, Anand Dahiya said traffic had been hit on one lane while the other portion of the highway was open to vehicles. He said the road would be cleared by Tuesday as a large quantity of debris had fallen on it.

Though repair work was undertaken by a private contractor, the hilly slope has once again eroded following rain in the area.

A total of 38 roads were closed in Himachal Pradesh following rain and 11 power supply schemes were disrupted, the State Emergency Operation Centre (SEOC) said on Sunday evening.

The local meteorological centre issued a ‘yellow’ alert for thunderstorm and lightning at isolated places in six districts of the state on Wednesday.

The Met office also predicted a wet spell in the state till September 21.

Meanwhile, intermittent rain continued to lash parts of the state, with Kasauli logging the highest rainfall of 53 mm since Saturday evening, it said.

During this period, 26 mm rain was recorded in Dharampur, followed by 20 mm in Renuka, 11 in Chamba, 10 in Karsog, 8.5 in Kalpa, 7.9 in Nahan, 6 in Sarahan and 5.8 mm each in Dharamshala and Kangra.
A maximum of 10 roads are closed in Kangra followed by eight each in Shimla and Mandi, five in Lahaul and Spiti, three each in Kullu and Kinnaur and one in Sirmaur, as per the SEOC.

The rain deficit during the ongoing monsoon season from June 1 till September 15 stands at 18 per cent, with the state receiving 562.9 mm rainfall against an average of 689.6 mm.

According to officials, 171 people have died in rain-related incidents since the onset of monsoon in the state on June 27 till Sunday, while 30 are still missing.
The state has suffered losses to the tune of Rs 1,327 crore, they said.

Kukumseri in Lahaul and Spiti was the coldest place in the state with a low of 7.8 degrees Celsius, while Una was the hottest with a maximum temperature of 33.8 degrees Celsius.

Himachal Pradesh has become the first state in India to introduce a provision for property seizure in cases involving illegal and spurious liquor, Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu announced today.

The state government has taken stringent measures to combat the illicit liquor trade, including recent amendments to the Himachal Pradesh Excise Act, 2011, passed during the state assembly’s monsoon session.

“The most significant amendment is the introduction of a provision allowing for the seizure of properties belonging to individuals involved in illegal activities, as well as their relatives and associates, which was previously absent from the Act,” Sukhu explained.

He emphasised that Himachal Pradesh is the first state to implement this provision, making these offenses cognisable and non-bailable to enhance effectiveness. The amendments also include increased penalties and longer punishment durations under various sections of the Act.

Sukhu stated that selling liquor to minors or using them as sales personnel is a serious crime, punishable by six months’ imprisonment or a fine of up to Rs 50,000.

To ensure effective implementation, enforcement agencies are being empowered, and the establishment of an Excise Police force has been proposed to expedite excise case handling and discourage illegal activities.

Recalling the 2022 hooch tragedy in Mandi district, which claimed eight lives due to spurious liquor consumption, the CM assured that stringent provisions are being implemented to prevent such incidents.

The state government is taking decisive steps to combat drug abuse, with the recruitment of over 1,200 constables underway, focusing on tackling these issues effectively.

Despite all parties agreeing to work towards maintaining peace and harmony in the state in an all-party meeting held in Shimla on Friday, the protest against “illegal construction” of mosque and against the lathicharge on protesters has spread to other parts of the state as well. On Friday, the protesters held protests at Sunni in Shimla district, Kullu and Paonta Sahib in Sirmaur district. Protesters took out rallies and raised religious slogans.

The protesters are also demanding proper police verification of migrants coming from other states for earning livelihood in Himachal Pradesh. Apart from the protest rallies, markets in several parts of the state remained shut to express their solidarity with the protesters.

In Shimla, however, the markets remained open as the Beopar Mandal had closed commercial establishments for three hours on Thursday.

With the unrest over the construction of an illegal mosque in the state capital spreading to other parts of the state, leaders of all political parties on Friday came together to urge people of the state to maintain peace and communal harmony.

The all-party meeting was chaired by Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu and attended by state Congress president Pratibha Singh, Naina Devi MLA Randhir Sharma, former CPM MLA Rakesh, CPM leader Surjit Singh Thakur and CPI leader KK Kaushal.

The CM said all issues concerning the unrest had been discussed and all parties had jointly issued a statement, urging people across Himachal to uphold the high traditions of peace and communal amity the state was known for. “Everyone felt that an early decision and settlement to the ongoing dispute at Sanjauli in Shimla must be found,” the CM said.

Himachal is known for respecting every religion, faith and community, so we all must maintain communal harmony,” he urged. All leaders agreed that a street vendor policy must be framed by a committee — to be constituted by the Vidhan Sabha Speaker — so that the antecedents of all those coming to the state for work can be verified.

Sukhu said it was wrong to give a communal colour to the protests as it was not a religious problem and the Vidhan Sabha committee was not for mandir or masjid, but to frame a policy for street vendors. He also refused to be drawn into any controversy over the Congress or the BJP being responsible for it, stating that it was better to forget what anyone said in the past, as now, everyone had agreed to forge harmony.

The CM assured that action against any illegal construction would be taken strictly as per record and law, even though some Muslim representatives had offered to demolish the illegally raised portions of the mosque, be it in Shimla, Mandi or elsewhere. He said all parties had expressed their opinion and asserted that there was no restriction on anyone from any part of the country working here, but it must be within the framework of law. However, everyone must refrain from making any remarks that could hurt people of any particular community or faith.

He said Himachal believed in secularism and nobody, including the government, political leaders or locals had the right to hurt people of any religion or community. He said a problem was also being faced by locals when vendors sit in front of shops, making it difficult for people to walk on roads, which also needed to be checked.

Everyone had the right to work in the state, but within the framework of law and people had the right to stage peaceful protests, which was a sign of a vibrant democracy, the CM

A woman was mauled to death and another seriously injured after being attacked by bears in the Dhimla panchayat in Chamba on Friday. The victims, Pinki Devi (44) and her sister-in-law Thanthi Devi (56), were collecting fodder for their cattle in the Kalwara forest near their village when the bears attacked them.

Pinki Devi succumbed to her injuries, while Thanthi Devi, who sustained serious injuries, has been admitted to Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru Government Medical College, where her condition is stated to be stable. According to Pawan Kumar, the deceased’s nephew, the incident occurred around 10 am. Villagers rushed to the scene after hearing their screams and managed to scare the bears away. They then rushed the victims to a nearby health facility, where Pinki Devi was pronounced dead on arrival.

A team of forest department officials arrived at the scene and are taking measures to drive the bears back into the forest, including bursting firecrackers and making loud noises with drums. Chamba Chief Conservator of Forests Abhilash Damodran said an immediate relief of Rs 10,000 has been provided to the family of the deceased woman and Rs 5,000 to the family of the injured. Further compensation will be provided to the family of the deceased once the case is processed.

The forests in Chamba district are home to several wild animal species, including Himalayan Black Bear and Himalayan Brown Bear. Bear sightings and encounters are common in Chamba, with black bears often venturing into habitations in search of food, resulting in encounters with humans. Several bear attacks have been reported across the district this year, highlighting the ongoing human-wildlife conflict in the region. Recently, a bear had ventured into a sweet shop in Jot village, and in another incident, a female bear and her cub were electrocuted to death after climbing an electric transformer in Dalhousie town.

Public Works Minister Vikramaditya Singh today directed officials of the Public Works Department (PWD) to take strict action against underperforming contractors. He gave the orders during a review meeting of the senior officers of the state’s PWD held here today.

The minister stressed the importance of maintaining quality in infrastructure development, issued strict directives to officials to monitor contractors’ performance. He urged them to take decisive action against non-performing contractors and blacklist those who deliver sub-par work. At the same time, he recommended rewarding contractors whose work meets high-quality standards by awarding them more projects.

He also highlighted the significant progress made by the department in executing key projects, backed by a budget of Rs 2240.27 crore for the current financial year, with Rs 526.42 crore already utilised.

He said that the department has made notable progress in infrastructure development, constructing 18 bridges, 33 buildings, 190.44 kilometres of motorable roads and 309.22 kilometres of cross drainage. In addition, 674.30 kilometres of roads have been tarred and 1,060 kilometres have undergone periodic renewals.

Vikramaditya Singh also highlighted the significant achievements under PMGSY-II, where 100 per cent of the work has been completed, while PMGSY-I has reached a 99 per cent completion rate. Additionally, 337 projects under NABARD are currently underway, with the remaining 15 projects expected to be awarded soon.

Emphasising the commitment to quality assurance, he highlighted Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu’s visionary leadership in modernising the PWD.

He explained that under the CM’s guidance, the department was actively working on upgrading its WAMIS software. He said that this step would revolutionise PWD operations and would ensure enhanced transparency in project execution. “It would streamline the tendering process and guarantee the timely completion of works and would reflect the government’s focus on efficiency and accountability in governance,” he said.

Addressing the recent monsoon damage, Vikramaditya Singh commended the PWD for their tireless efforts in responding to infrastructure challenges posed by heavy rainfall. He directed the department to prioritise the urgent repair and maintenance of damaged roads and bridges to prevent any inconvenience to the public. Ensuring timely pothole repairs and the swift restoration of flood-affected roads was on priority, he said.

A day after Hindu outfits held a massive protest against the “illegal mosque” in Sanjauli, the representatives of the Masjid committee on Thursday offered to demolish the illegal portion of the mosque if permitted.

“We have submitted a memorandum to Shimla MC Commissioner, wherein we have said the portion, which is illegal should be sealed for the time being. And we have also requested the MC Commissioner to allow us to demolish the portion that it considers illegal,” said one member of the delegation

The delegation said they made this decision to ensure the decade-old brotherhood between the two communities is not affected. “We will accept whatever decision comes from the court. We have no objection if the court pronounces the decision to demolish the illegal portion. If it allows us, we will remove it ourselves,” he said.

A representative further said they had no idea that the construction of a mosque would cause so much inconvenience to the local people that thousands of them would come out in the streets in protest. “If we had known this, we would have asked the Muslims to stop the construction,” he said.

Meanwhile, commercial establishments were closed in many parts of the Himachal Pradesh capital on Thursday in support of protesters who have been demanding the demolition of illegal portions of a mosque in the densely populated Sanjauli area.

After protests broke out over the alleged illegal construction of a mosque in Sanjauli, BJP MP Anurag Thakur said on Wednesday that there is a need to go into the depth of this issue and find the reasons behind it so that such incidents are prevented in future.

Emphasising the need for investigation, Thakur said that it is necessary to find how it is affecting on demography of the region.

“We need to go into the depth of this issue to find the reasons behind it and how it is affecting local demography.

There are serious reasons behind the anger in people there. Such incidents have frequently occurred in last some years. The need to go in depth to find the reasons is to prevent such incidents in future,” said BJP MP Anurag Thakur.

Leader of Opposition in Himachal Pradesh Assembly Jairam Thakur slammed the Sukhu government saying that the state was delaying action against the alleged illegal construction.

“Himachal Pradesh is a peaceful state. There have hardly been any community conflicts here. But, now the situation that has emerged, the government should have taken active measures against it, and people are agitated because of the delay.

The sentiments of the Hindus and the local people must be respected… Imposing BNSS 163 is an attempt to suppress the voice of the people… There should be peaceful protests within the limits of the law. I urge the government that if it is an unauthorised construction, then this problem should be solved soon,” Jairam Thakur said.

On Tuesday, Jairam Thakur hit out at the Congress government and said that since this government has come into power, they haven’t initiated the process of identity registration and verification of street vendors. Thakur said that the due process has filled the streets with unknown people whose backgrounds are unavailable.

Earlier on Wednesday, as the protest over the alleged illegal construction of a mosque in the Sanjauli area intensified, police personnel on Wednesday used water cannons and resorted to lathicharge to disperse protestors heading towards the Sanjauli area of Shimla. Protestors removed the first layer of barricading and clashed with the security forces while entering the Dhalli Tunnel East portal during their protest march. The protests have been called by Hindu organisations over the alleged illegal construction of Sanjauli mosque.

In view of a planned protest today against the unauthorised mosque in Sanjauli, the district administration has imposed prohibitory orders under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagrik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) 2023.

The orders, effective from 7 am to 11.59 pm tomorrow, prohibit the gathering of five or more persons in public places without permission. Additionally, carrying weapons and arms, including lathis, daggers, sticks, spears, swords, pickaxes, shovels, and other incendiary materials, is prohibited.

The orders also ban demonstrations, slogans, and hunger strikes without prior permission. The use of loudspeakers in hospitals, courts, educational institutions, and public places is prohibited.

Furthermore, there will be a complete ban on communal, anti-national, and anti-state slogans, wall writings, posters, and other forms of expression during this period.

Deputy Commissioner Anupam Kashyap stated that the district administration has taken effective steps to maintain law and order in the Sanjauli area of Shimla.

“The measures aim to ensure that normalcy in daily life is fully preserved in the region,” he said. Kashyap assured that everyday life in the area will proceed as usual, with schools, government and private offices, and markets remaining open. He emphasised that the public should not face any inconvenience, as the administration is committed to taking stringent measures to maintain law and order.

The decision follows outrage from Hindu outfits and local residents over the pending case in the Municipal Commissioner’s (MC) court regarding the unauthorised mosque construction.

Earlier, they had given an ultimatum to the government to demolish the illegal construction by September 7. However, the MC’s court directed the concerned official to file a fresh status report on October 5.

Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu today said that the Himcare scheme, which provides cashless treatment up to Rs 5 lakh to a family, will not be stopped but reformed.

In response to a question on Himcare in the Assembly, the Chief Minister said that the scheme had been stopped in private hospitals after complaints of irregularities were received. “Our Cabinet Sub-Committee is looking into the matter. We will move ahead as per the recommendations of the sub-committee,” he added.

Sukhu said the sub-committee was looking into the complaints of overcharging by some private hospitals. He added that the payments of Rs 227 crore and Rs 127 crore to government and private hospitals, respectively, under the Himcare Scheme were pending.

To a question on the Sahara scheme, the Chief Minister said that it was a good scheme started by the previous BJP government but this, too, was being misused. “The scheme is for people suffering from chronic diseases but some ineligible people, too, were claiming its benefits on the basis of forged documents,” he added.

He said that the government was strengthening its institutions by filling vacant posts and providing state-of-the-art equipment and machinery in hospitals. “We want to provide the best health facilities to people and we are working in that direction,” he added.

Meanwhile, the government and the Opposition sparred over a question on the NABARD scheme. The Opposition alleged that only schemes meant for the constituencies of the Congress MLAs were being approved under NABARD and the detailed project reports (DPRs) for the constituencies of the opposition MLAs were not even being prepared.

Sukhu rejected allegations of bias and said that uniform development of the entire state was the priority of his government. To MLA Randhir Sharma’s question, the Chief Minister said that the limit of the Assembly constituency under the NABARD scheme was fixed at Rs 175 crore, and the government had increased it by 20 crore to 195 crore.

The Chief Minister informed the House that from April 1, 2022, to July 31, 2024, 350 schemes were approved in the state under NABARD, while 318 schemes were pending.

To MLA Sanjay Rattan’s question as to why two officials were brought on deputation to the University of Horticulture and Forestry, Nauni, when eligible people were available in the state, Horticulture Minister Jagat Singh Negi said that the process to end their deputation had been started. An amount of around Rs 1.67 crore had been spent on their salaries and allowances from August 2022 to till now.

“The BJP government had brought these two officials on deputation for two years but now the financial position of the university is not good and hence the process to end their deputation has been started,” he added.

he residents of Palampur and various social organisations remembered the Kargil War hero Captain Vikram Batra on his birth anniversary on Monday.

Captain Vikram Batra sacrificed his life fighting Pakistani forces during the Kargil War in 1999 at the age of 24.

Tributes were paid before his statue installed near the PWD rest house. The statue was garlanded by many, including local politicians, members of Rotary Clubs, and heads of social organisations.

Vikram Batra was given the Param Vir Chakra posthumously. He became a face of the soldiers at Kargil, whose words ‘Yeh Dil Maange More…’ are still remembered vividly.

Captain Vikram Batra laid down his life for the country on July 7, 1999.

Waging war at high altitudes is a daunting task. Kargil was a long drawn-out battle, besides being a tenacious combat

As the nation waited with bated breath, the Indian flag finally fluttered firmly over Tiger Hills on the morning of July 4, 1999, and all of India erupted in celebration. Operation Vijay was successful. This was the war in which Captain Batra fought gallantly, making the ultimate sacrifice for his country.

Captain Vikram Batra was born on 9 September 1974 in Palampur. He was the third child of Girdhari Lal Batra, a government school principal, and Kamal Kanta Batra, a schoolteacher.

The cozy village, Bir Billing–a centre for eco-tourism, meditation and spiritual studies–is ready for adventure as Himachal Pradesh government lifted ban on all types of paragliding activities from September 15.

Away from hustle and bustle of big cities and other tourist destinations, Bir Billing is situated in the west of Mandi district and the village is famous for its scenic beauty.

It is one of those less famous adventure destinations around the globe that offers holistic peace of mind to adventure enthusiasts as well as travellers.

A complete ban was imposed on paragliding in July this year with the onset of the monsoon to avoid any mishaps.

Official sources said after notifying certain safety guidelines, the district administration would restore all types of paragliding activities in Bir Billing.

As paragliding was banned, most of the hotels and homestays wore a deserted look. Bir Billing is probably Asia’s best paragliding site and is ranked amongst the best sites in the world.

With the news for the opening of paragliding at Bir Billing from September 15, tourists have started reaching here from all over the country. Owners of the hotels, guest hoses, resorts have also prepared themselves to welcome the tourists.

Billing, the take-off point, is situated at 8,000 feet from the sea level and offers a great flight. The landing site is on the southern edge of Bir and is around 4,500 feet from the sea level. The scenic beauty and the elevation offer amazing weather conditions throughout the year.

Three persons were killed while one injured after the car they were travelling in fell into a deep gorge, in Kanda, under Mandi’s Balichowki tehsil, on Sunday.

According to officials, the victims were traveling in an Alto car when the driver lost control of the vehicle and it plunged into a deep gorge.

Two of the car’s occupants died at the spot while one succumbed to her injuries on being transported to a hospital.

Another critically injured is undergoing treatment at a local medical facility.

While the exact cause of the accident is yet to be ascertained, the police have initiated an investigation and have registered a case

Apple growers have written a letter to Union Minister for Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal and Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan to raise the minimum import price (MIP) of apple imported from Iran to at least Rs 90 per kg from the existing Rs 50 per kg fixed last year. The government had fixed Rs 50 per kg as MIP to help the native apple producers compete with cheap imports from Iran.

A year later, the apple growers have found that the fixing of the MIP at Rs 50 per kg isn’t having the desired impact. “Not only Iranian apple is available for Rs 60 per kg to Rs 70 per kg in the market but also the import from that country is rising. In 2023-24, Iran was the highest exporter of apple to India, contributing 28 per cent of the total import of the fruit,” said Lokinder Bisht, president of the Progressive Growers Association.

He said, “Local apple growers can’t compete with cheap imported apple from Iran, as our per kg cost of production, harvesting, packaging and freight alone amounts to around Rs 55 to Rs 60.” He added that they had highlighted the issues in the letter written to the ministers.

As for the availability of Iranian apple for Rs 60 per kg to Rs 70 per kg in the market, Bisht said it wasn’t possible to sell the imported apple at this price if the import was being done, as per the rules. “Following the introduction of the MIP, apple can’t reach Indian shores at less than Rs 50 per kg. And then, 50 per cent import duty is imposed on the fruit, which makes its cost Rs 75 per kg. Add to it the profit margin of the traders and others in the chain until the fruit reaches consumers. The imported apple can’t be sold for less than Rs 100 per kg,” said Bisht.

He claimed that the availability of Iranian apple at such cheap rates despite the MIP and 50 per cent import duty on it pointed towards a foul play. “Either there’s massive under-invoicing of the fruit coming from these countries to escape import duty or it is being pushed into India through the signatory countries of the South Asian Free Trade Area, where the import duty is not applicable,” he said.

The growers have written to the Central Government that the apple economy will collapse due to a sharp increase in input cost and unbridled cheap imports from Iran if remedial measures are not taken. We are hopeful that the Central Government will look into the issues and take remedial steps suggested by us,” said Bisht.

Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu today said that the state government was exploring the possibility of devising a mechanism to allow faster declaration of death in case of persons who had gone missing during natural disasters as the seven-year wait was very agonising for the affected families.

He was speaking on the issue of the grant of ex-gratia to the families of people, who had gone missing in flashfloods triggered by a cloudburst, raised by Rampur MLA Nand Lal during the Question Hour in the Vidhan Sabha.

Sukhu admitted that providing financial relief in the form of ex-gratia to the families of missing persons in the case of natural disasters was a major challenge for the government, as they could not be considered dead till seven years after the incident.

Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu said that the state government could utilise water from the reservoirs of the Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB) for drinking and irrigation purposes without a no objection certificate (NOC) from it, “as Himachal has a 7.19 per cent legitimate right over water”
The Chief Minister was replying to a calling attention motion moved by Sundernagar MLA Rakesh Jamwal in the Assembly
Jamwal said that people were facing problems due to the Beas-Sutlej Link Project of the BBMB
Sukhu said, “The notification that an NOC from the BBMB is not required for the use of water will be shared with the Deputy Commissioners of Kangra, Bilaspur and Mandi. Objections being raised by the BBMB regarding various development works will be taken up with its management.”
He said demarcation would be done to assess excess vacant land with the BBMB, which was not being returned and could be put to use.

“People are facing problems, as there are reports of seepage and silt from the Beas-Sutlej Link Project. The Pandoh Dam is also not being run as per the norms and a havoc was caused during the monsoon last year. Even adherence to the dam safety norms is very poor,” he added.

The Chief Minister said, “It is often seen that many bodies decompose and are never recovered after cloudbursts and similar tragedies, causing emotional trauma to the affected families.”

Revenue Minister Jagat Singh Negi said that in the past two years up to July 31, 2024, as many as 41 people had gone missing in disasters in Himachal. He added that 22 individuals, who had gone missing in the rain-triggered tragedies in Bagipul and Samej (Kullu) and Padhar (Mandi) could not not be declared dead for seven years, as per the Central Birth and Death Registration Act.

Negi said that during extreme events like the 2013 Uttarakhand tragedy, the Registrar General, Union Ministry of Home Affairs, issued a procedure for the registration of deaths of missing persons in the areas affected by natural calamities. The Central Government had also prescribed this procedure for Himachal Pradesh after the 2023 floods.

He said that the state government could provide the gratuitous relief to the families of missing people from the State Disaster Relief Fund (SDRF) and the National Disaster Relief Fund (NDRF) only after the issuance of a death certificate.

Negi said that the Section 111 of the Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam, 2023, prescribed a procedure for declaring a missing person dead. “It provides that when the question is whether a person is alive or dead, and it is proved that he has not been heard for seven years by those who would naturally have heard him if he had been alive, the burden of proving that he is alive is shifted to the person who affirms it,” he added.

The Supreme Court on Friday asked the Himachal High Court Collegium to consider the candidature of district judges Chirag Bhanu Singh and Arvind Malhotra for elevation to the high court, saying there was no collective discussion and deliberations as required under its verdicts on judicial appointments.

“The procedure adopted in the matter of reconsideration of the two petitioners is found to be inconsistent with the law laid down in the Second Judges (1993) and the Third Judges case(1998). There was no collective consultation and deliberations by the members of the High Court Collegium,” a Bench led by Justice Hrishikesh Roy said.

“The decision of the Chief Justice of the High Court, on the suitability of the two petitioners as conveyed in his letter dated 6^th March 2024, appears to be an individual decision. The same therefore stand vitiated both procedurally and substantially,” said the Bench which also included Justice Prashant Kumar Mishra.

The Chief Justice of a High Court cannot individually reconsider a recommendation and it can only be done by the High Court Collegium acting collectively,” the top court said.

“The High Court Collegium should now reconsider the names of Mr. Chirag Bhanu Singh and Mr. Arvind Malhotra for elevation as Judges of the High Court, following the Supreme Court Collegium decision dated 4th January, 2024 and the Law Minister’s letter dated 16th January, 2024,” it said, allowing the petition of the two aggrieved judicial officers.

Petitioners Singh and Malhotra—presently serving as the district and sessions judges at Bilaspur and Solan, respectively – alleged that their names have not been considered by the high court Collegium for elevation despite being referred to the high court Collegium by the Supreme Court Collegium for reconsideration.

The duo contended that the Himachal Pradesh High Court Collegium ignored their merit and seniority while recommending names for elevation to the high court.

“The High Court Collegium has to reconsider the recommendations in accordance with Supreme Court resolutions,” the Bench said, reminding the High Court Collegium of the January 4 resolution of the Supreme Court collegium asking the High Court to consider the petitioners’ candidature.

“This appears to be a case where there was no collective consultation amongst the three Constitutional functionaries of the High Court i.e. the Chief Justice and the two senior-most companion judges. The absence of the element of plurality, in the process of reconsideration as directed by the Supreme Court Collegium, is clearly discernible,” it noted.

Singh and Malhotra were recommended by the then Collegium of the High Court on December 6, 2022 for elevation as judges of the Himachal Pradesh High Court. On July 12, 2023, the Supreme Court Collegium, however, deferred their consideration. Thereafter, on January 4, 2024, the Supreme Court Collegium in its wisdom resolved that the proposal for their elevation be remitted for reconsideration to the Himachal Pradesh High Court Chief Justice.

The top court had on May 13 issued notice to the Himachal Pradesh High Court Registrar General on a petition filed by two senior-most district and sessions judges alleging that they were ignored by the high court Collegium in elevation, despite their seniority and unblemished career record.

The Bench had specifically sought to know if the high court collegium considered the petitioners’ name or not.

The high court collegium didn’t consider their names and proceeded to deliberate upon names of other junior judicial officers, they alleged.

The process adopted by the High Court Collegium stood procedurally and substantially vitiated as the same was contrary to established constitutional convention, they submitted.

“The petitioners are the senior most judicial officers in the state and they have unblemished records,” senior counsel Arvind Datar had said, adding it would cause serious prejudice to the expectations of the petitioners if they were not considered for elevation.

Questioning the process for elevation of judicial officers by the high court collegium, he had said the petitioners’ merit and seniority were ignored despite the issue being specifically referred to in the top court collegium’s January 4, 2024 resolution.

Datar had also referred to a subsequent communication of the Union Ministry of Law and Justice to the Himachal Pradesh High Court and said the petitioners’ names should have been considered by the High Court Collegium.