Shimla, April 4 Facing criticism from the opposition over the Chester Hill land case in Solan, the Himachal Pradesh government on Saturday ordered a fresh inquiry into allegations of a "benami" land deal and violation of Section 118 of the HP Land Reforms and Tenancy Act.
Section 118 restricts the purchase of land by non-Himachalis without prior permission.
The state government also withdrew the earlier order of December 6, 2025, in which the Chief Secretary (Revenue) had described the inquiry conducted by the Subdivisional Officer (Civil), Solan, as prima facie violative of established law.
The inquiry by the Sub-Divisional Officer (SDO) into the Chester Hills housing project had revealed several irregularities during the land acquisition and benami land transactions.
The opposition BJP and CPI(M) have claimed violation of land laws in the project and demanded an investigation by a Special Investigation Team (SIT) into alleged land mafia activities, including benami land deals, in the state. They have also demanded the removal of the chief secretary from his position.
Chief Secretary Sanjay Gupta had dismissed the allegations concerning the Chester Hill housing project in Solan as baseless and said he had no role in it. He had alleged that two former IAS officers and an engineer are behind the "conspiracy" to malign him.
In a fresh communication to the Deputy Commissioner, Solan, sent on Saturday, the Additional Chief Secretary (Revenue) stated that the letter of December 6, 2025, had been re-examined and consequently, it was decided that the aforesaid letter be withdrawn with immediate effect.
It further requested the Deputy Commissioner to institute a case of violation of Section 118 of the Land Reforms and Tenancy Act and pass appropriate orders after hearing the parties concerned.
In the earlier letter of December 6, 2025, the Chief Secretary (Revenue) had told the Deputy Commissioner that the sub-divisional officer had ignored the basic intent of the HP Tenancy and Land Reforms Act, which provides protection to agriculturists.
In this case, the source of funds for the land purchased by the aforementioned agriculturists, viz., loans from financial institutions, has been shown in the representation. The letter added that the report of the SDO (Civil), Solan, is prima facie violative of established law and any action by the DC Solan on the report would hurt the interests of agriculturists.
Meanwhile, alleging a violation of Section 118 of the Himachal Pradesh Tenancy and Land Reforms Act, Left leaders had said that a fair investigation is impossible unless the chief secretary is removed from his position.
The BJP had also raised the issue inside and outside the Assembly and had urged the chief minister to call for the inquiry report prepared by the Deputy Commissioner (DC) of Solan pertaining to the acquisition of 274 bighas of land.
The LOP Jai Ram Thakur had said that "serious allegations have been levelled against the chief secretary who has now levelled counter-allegations of corruption against other officials".
"The CM is completely compromised and unable to take any punitive action," the BJP leader had alleged.