Shimla, Aug. 21 -- Five months after the mysterious death of Chief Engineer Vimal Negi, the Himachal Pradesh High Court has provided major relief to suspended ASI Pankaj Kumar, who had been kept under round-the-clock surveillance by the state police.
On August 20, Justice Ajay Mohan Goel disposed of Kumar's civil writ petition (CWP No. 11859 of 2025), terming the coercive measures against him a violation of his fundamental rights under Article 21 of the Constitution.
Kumar, placed under suspension following allegations of tampering with a PEN drive recovered from Negi, had been forcibly lodged at the Police Guest House in Kaithu, Shimla, under continuous police watch and CCTV monitoring.
He was not allowed to reside in his gove...