Dharamsala court grants interim bail to Dehra ex-MLA Hoshyar Singh in fund misuse case

Former Dehra MLA Hoshyar Singh has been granted interim bail by the court of Special Judge-II, Dharamsala, Rajesh Chauhan, in a case involving alleged fraud and criminal breach of trust in the purported misuse of the MLA discretionary fund.

The court passed the order during Tuesday’s hearing, directing that Singh be released on interim bail in the event of his arrest. The next hearing has been scheduled for September 17. The State Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau has also been directed to file its response during the next hearing.

As per the court order, Singh will have to furnish a personal bond of Rs 50,000 and a surety of the same amount to the satisfaction of the investigating officer. He has also been directed to join the investigation as and when required by the investigating officer.

The court further directed him not to tamper with or influence prosecution evidence in any manner.

The Vigilance Bureau had registered an FIR against Hoshyar Singh on July 16 under Sections 409 (criminal breach of trust) and 420 (cheating) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) for alleged misuse of government funds. The FIR was registered at the Vigilance Bureau Police Station in Dharamsala based on a complaint filed by an employee of companies owned by Singh. The complainant is also among the beneficiaries of the alleged misuse of government funds.

According to the prosecution case, financial assistance from the MLA discretionary fund was sanctioned in the names of certain persons during 2023 and 2024. The complainants were reportedly employees of a company allegedly linked to the former MLA.

The allegation is that these employees had not applied for the financial assistance sanctioned in their names. During its preliminary inquiry, the Vigilance Bureau examined government records and the bank accounts of the alleged beneficiaries.

The inquiry reportedly found that around Rs 8 lakh had been deposited into the bank accounts of about 16 employees. The amount was subsequently allegedly withdrawn or returned after being credited to the accounts.

In their statements to the Vigilance Bureau, the alleged beneficiaries claimed that they were required to return the money on the directions of the former MLA.

Based on the preliminary inquiry, the Vigilance Bureau prima facie concluded that government funds had allegedly been used for purposes other than those for which they were sanctioned, leading to the registration of the FIR. The allegations are yet to be established before the court.