The mysterious death of Vimal Negi, the chief engineer of Himachal Pradesh Power Corporation Limited (HPPCL), whose body was discovered in Gobind Sagar Lake in Bilaspur district on March 18, will now be investigated by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). The Himachal Pradesh High Court ordered the transfer of the case on Friday, May 23, following a petition filed by Negi's wife, Kiran Negi. Vimal Negi had been missing since March 10.

Justice Ajay Goyal's single-judge bench, which had reserved its decision on Wednesday, ruled that no officer from the Himachal Pradesh cadre should be involved in the investigation. R.K. Bawa, the petitioner's attorney, stated that the court agreed with the family's claim that the state police's investigation was unjust.

Kiran Negi alleged that her husband had been mistreated by his superiors for six months, and that they had also mistreated him. She claimed he was made to work late at night even when he was sick. According to the advocate, the government failed to act on the report of Additional Chief Secretary (Home and Revenue) Onkar Chand, in which he named officers accused of misbehavior. She added that the SIT was prejudiced and only looked at the victim's medical history and that the government had withheld his report.

Himachal Pradesh Advocate General Anup Rattan stated that the government is open to investigation by any agency. He stated that the state police's investigation was fair and transparent. DGP Atul Verma, during Wednesday's hearing, questioned the "impartiality" of the special investigation team (SIT) probe, while Rattan defended the investigation, asserting it was conducted properly without bias.

Former Chief Minister and Leader of the Opposition in the Vidhan Sabha, Jai Ram Thakur, hailed the court's decision, stating that the truth will now be revealed through an impartial investigation. Following the discovery of Negi's death on March 18, his family protested outside the HPPCL office in Shimla the following day, calling for a CBI investigation. Subsequently, authorities filed a case against the director (electrical) and managing director of HPPCL for abetment to suicide and joint criminal liability under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).

The High Court stated that there was an exceptional situation that required the matter to be investigated by the CBI, as the Director General of Police had raised serious concerns about the manner in which the investigation was being carried out in his status report. The court also noted that the Special Investigation Team (SIT), which was constituted under the supervision of the Superintendent of Police, Shimla, had questioned the authority of the DGP to doubt its probe through the Advocate General.

The court's detailed judgment is still awaited.