SHIMLA/KULLU, JULY 19: Fresh controversy has emerged in connection with the public interest litigation (CWPIL No. 53/2025) concerning rave parties in Kasol, Jibhi and Manali, with the petitioner NGO claiming that it is facing threats ahead of the next hearing before the Himachal Pradesh High Court on August 6.
The development comes shortly after the Himachal Pradesh High Court reportedly rejected pleas filed by the Deputy Commissioner, Superintendent of Police and Sub-Divisional Magistrate of Kullu seeking modification of the court's transfer orders issued in connection with the matter earlier this week.
In a fresh complaint addressed to the Himachal Pradesh Chief Secretary, Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister and Director General of Police, the petitioner, Himalayan Environment Protection Society, has alleged that a Kullu-based woman, identified as resident of Lower Dhalpur, has been threatening the organisation and its representatives since the High Court proceedings.
According to the complaint, the woman has allegedly been issuing threats over phone calls, WhatsApp messages and in person, warning the petitioner that she would implicate him in cases under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act and other criminal cases.
The NGO further alleged that the woman claimed to have strong political and administrative backing, allegedly saying that she had "the government in one hand and the administration in the other."
The complaint also alleges that the woman invoked the names of a sitting MLA, the Vice-Chairman of the State Planning Commission, former Kullu Superintendent of Police Gokul Chandra Karthikeyan and the owner of Palm Bliss Resort, who has been named as an organiser of one of the alleged rave parties, while making the threats.
The NGO has urged the state government to order a high-level inquiry into the allegations, examine the woman's call detail records to verify her alleged links with politicians, officials and, if any, members of the drug mafia, and provide security to the petitioner and members of the organisation.
The complaint further claims that the alleged intimidation amounts to an indirect attempt to interfere with the judicial process while the PIL remains pending before the High Court.
The petitioner has also expressed apprehension that sustained pressure and intimidation could force withdrawal of the complaint before the next hearing.
The matter in Court on its Own Motion vs State of Himachal Pradesh (CWPIL No. 53/2025) is listed before the Himachal Pradesh High Court on August 6, 2026.
