Himachal Rejects High Court-Monitored Probe Into Chester Hills

The Himachal Pradesh government says it will not ask a sitting High Court judge to supervise an investigation into the Chester Hills housing project.

It says the District Collector in Solan is already legally handling the case.

The complaints claim that land rules may have been broken and that benami transactions may have taken place.

These complaints concern two parts of the project called Chester Hills-2 and Chester Hills-4.

Together, they contain 228 flats.

The land law, called Section 118, limits how non-agriculturists can buy agricultural land in Himachal Pradesh.

Some opposition leaders and activists have criticized the earlier inquiry report.

The government says the existing legal process is enough to investigate the matter.