Giving a big jolt to the Virbhadra Singh government, Himachal Pradesh Governor Kalyan Singh has announced that the former Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal cannot be framed in a case pertaining to a matter of giving extension to a former IPS officer. The Governor who had called the trial file to Jaipur has returned it with an observation that the prosecution has on sufficient evidence to initiate any proceedings against the former Chief Minister. The political circles here were abuzz with the talks that Mr. Dhumal has got a big reprieve and the incumbent government eager to frame him has now run into a big embarrassment.
The matter of giving an extension to the IPS officer had cropped up in 2007 when this officer had resigned from the government service to seek a BJP ticket to fight the Vidhan Sabha elections. Realising that he was being denied the party ticket the IPS officer A. N. Sharma applied for cancellation of his resignation and the same was accepted by the then government. There was a Dhumal-led BJP government in the State from 2007 to 2012.
The Virbhadra Singh government when came to power afterwards made the former Chief Minister, the former Chief Secretary and Secretary Home as the accused in this case and had even filed a challan against them.
The incumbent government in a hurried decision filed a charge sheet against the former Chief Minister and others when Mr. Dhumal approached the new Governor in this regard on March 12.
