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Vigilance books Dharamshala MLA Sudhir Sharma in DA case
The case comes days after former MLA of the Dehra Assembly constituency, Hoshiyar Singh Chambyal, was booked by vigilance for “misuse” of government funds
The Himachal Pradesh state vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau (SV&ACB) has registered an FIR against Dharamshala MLA Sudhir Sharma for possessing disproportionate assets, with BJP leadership labelling it as “political vendetta” by the Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu-led Congress government.
The case comes days after former MLA of the Dehra Assembly constituency, Hoshiyar Singh Chambyal, was booked by vigilance for “misuse” of government funds.
The case has been registered under the relevant provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act, following completion of a preliminary enquiry conducted on the basis of a Source Information Report, said an ACB spokesperson.
The spokesperson said that during the enquiry, the bureau examined financial and property-related records obtained from various government departments and statutory authorities, including income tax returns, election affidavits and declarations, property records, house building advance records and valuation reports obtained from the competent authorities. The preliminary enquiry revealed a prima facie disproportion between Sharma’s assets and expenditure and his known lawful sources of income during the relevant check period, the spokesperson said. On reconciliation of the available records relating to assets, income and expenditure, the bureau found sufficient material warranting registration of a regular criminal case and detailed investigation, the statement added.
The inquiry also identified certain financial transactions and assets requiring further verification, including the source of declared income, transactions relating to sale of land, investments and banking transactions, acquisition of vehicles and expenditure incurred on construction of a residential property, the spokesperson added.
Certain records relating to construction expenditure were not available during the preliminary inquiry, while aspects concerning the valuation of the residential property, including interior works, fixtures and furnishings, require further technical assessment. These issues will be examined during the course of investigation, the ACB statement added.
Meanwhile, speaking to HT, Sudhir Sharma said, “I got to know about the case through the media. I am currently out of station. This is clearly a politically motivated move—rather, an act of political vendetta by the present Congress government led by Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu. I have nothing to hide, and I am confident that the truth will prevail.”
Sudhir Sharma was among the six Congress MLAs who, along with three Independents, voted in favour of the BJP candidate Harsh Mahajan during the Rajya Sabha elections in 2024. Later, all of them joined the BJP and contested the by-elections. Out of the nine seats, Congress won six, and the BJP won three.
BJP flays govt
Reacting to the development, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has accused the Congress-led Himachal government for “running a campaign to register false cases out of political vendetta”.
“Congress government in Himachal is running a campaign to register false cases out of political vendetta to conceal the scams and government failures that have occurred in the state in the past three and a half years”, said BJP leader and spokesperson Rajinder Rana in a statement issued on Thursday.
He alleged that the case registered against BJP MLA Sudhir Sharma is motivated by “political malice” as the concerned departments had already conducted investigations at multiple levels - the vigilance department inspected his residence and the Income Tax Department completed the necessary inquiries, with all documents found to be in compliance with regulations.
“Politics of vendetta will benefit neither the chief minister, the state, nor the officials,” said former CM and Leader of the Opposition Jai Ram Thakur while speaking to the media on Thursday.
“Ever since Congress lost the Rajya Sabha election despite having a majority, CM Sukhu has been conspiring to harass BJP leaders through government officials. Malicious actions are being initiated against individuals via the Vigilance Department,” added Thakur.
Thakur added, “Sukhu government took action against Sudhir Sharma because he consistently exposed its corruption. Hoshiyar Singh faced a series of FIRs because he brought to light the issue regarding the distribution of ₹50,000 to Mahila Mandals. Cases were registered against the entire families of Ashish Sharma, Rajendra Rana, and Chaitanya Sharma”.
