The Supreme Court criticised the CBI’s handling of the Vimal Negi case, calling some investigators “absolutely bogus officers.” The court questioned the probe’s credibility while granting anticipatory bail to HPPCL official Desh Raj.
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NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court of India on Monday delivered a reprimand to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), questioning the competence and professionalism of officials probing the death of Himachal Pradesh Power Corporation Limited (HPPCL) officer Vimal Negi.
During the hearing of a plea filed by Desh Raj, a senior HPPCL officer seeking anticipatory bail, the bench comprising Justice Ahsanuddin Amanullah and Justice Prashant Kumar Mishra made scathing oral remarks about the quality of the investigation.
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Supreme Court Questions CBI’s Competence
The bench expressed deep dissatisfaction with the interrogation methods used by the CBI, calling them “childish” and “absolutely bogus.”
“Who is the investigator putting questions? This is childish,”
Justice Amanullah remarked.
“If he is a senior officer, it reflects very sadly on the CBI… Absolutely bogus officers. Not fit to be in service.”
The court criticised the investigators for asking leading questions such as “You transferred him because of this”, noting that such queries were meaningless and incapable of producing credible evidence.
The judges stressed that an accused person’s silence could not be treated as non-cooperation, highlighting that the right to remain silent is a constitutional right.
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Background
Chief Engineer Vimal Negi had gone missing on March 10, 2025. His body was found on March 18 in the Shahtalai area near Gobind Sagar in Bilaspur district.
According to the post-mortem report, Negi had died about five days before his body was recovered.
Earlier, Negi’s wife, Kiran Negi, had made serious allegations, stating that senior officers had tortured her husband for nearly six months and that they had also misbehaved with him. The case revolves around allegations that Vimal Negi, an HPPCL officer, died by suicide after being mentally harassed by senior officials, including:
- Desh Raj, Director (Electrical), HPPCL
- Harikesh Meena, Managing Director, HPPCL
- One other senior official
Negi’s family claimed he was pressured to “do wrong,” pushing him into acute mental distress.
She approached the Himachal Pradesh High Court, seeking a CBI investigation into the matter. On May 23, 2025, the High Court accepted her plea and officially transferred the probe from the Special Investigation Team (SIT) of Himachal Pradesh Police to the CBI.
Court Grants Anticipatory Bail to Desh Raj
Despite the CBI’s claim that Desh Raj was not cooperating with the investigation, the Supreme Court rejected this contention, calling the agency’s stance weak and unsupported.
The bench observed that the case files showed “nothing concrete” and were based mainly on “surmises.” Consequently, the court granted anticipatory bail to Desh Raj.
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