Shimla, Oct. 31 -- The Himachal Pradesh high court on Thursday in a notice issued to the state government and the Kangra Cooperative Bank (KCB) has sought a reply to a petition alleging misuse of government funds during the Dehra assembly by-election. The notice was issued on a plea filed by BJP candidate Hoshiar Singh, who lost the July 2024 by-election to Kamlesh Thakur, wife of chief minister Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu from Dehra constituency. "The HC has issued notice. We have made specific allegations against the bank of disbursing the amount on slip basis even when no demand was raised by the mahila mandals. This was done to influence the voters," said advocate Vikrant Thakur, petitioner's counsel. "We have moved a PIL in the matter as an election petition can only be filed with 45 days of the poll in question," said the counsel while responding to a query of the high court on not moving the election petition in the matter. He added, "CBI is also expected to file a reply as the petitioner in his petition has urged the high court to inquiry into the allegations from an independent probe agency, including CBI, or a sitting or retired judge as the matter involves the CM's wife." The petitioner has alleged that the Kangra Cooperative Bank deposited three months' worth of financial assistance from the Indira Gandhi Pyari Behna Sukh Samman Nidhi Scheme into the bank accounts of nearly 1,000 women and also transferred Rs.50,000 each to 67 women's self-help groups within the Dehra assembly constituency during the Model Code of Conduct period. Hoshiar Singh contended that this amounted to a gross violation of the Election Commission's code and misuse of official machinery to influence voters. The state government and the management of the Kangra Cooperative Bank will have to file reply on December 11. Hoshiar Singh, who had earlier won as an Independent from Dehra and later joined the BJP, lost the July 2024 by-election to Kamlesh Thakur by a margin of 9,399 votes. The election followed his resignation along with two other Independents-KL Thakur and Ashish Sharma-after they voted for BJP in 2024 Rajya Sabha election....