CHANDIGARH: Former independent Dehra MLA Hoshyar Singh Chambyal, who had once supported the Congress-led Sukhu government but two years back cross-voted in favour of the BJP's candidate Harsh Mahajan in the Rajya Sabha elections, has been booked by the Himachal Pradesh State Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau in connection with the alleged misappropriation of government funds under the MLA Discretionary Grants Scheme.
A statement issued by the bureau said an FIR was registered at the Vigilance Bureau Police Station in Dharamshala on July 16 under Sections 409 (criminal breach of trust) and 420 (cheating) of the IPC, based on a complaint filed by an employee of companies owned by Chambyal. The complainant is also among the beneficiaries of the alleged misuse of government funds.
“Based on the evidence obtained during the investigation, the role of other persons and the possibility of any additional offences under the Prevention of Corruption Act or other relevant legal provisions will also be examined,” it said.
The statement further said that during the preliminary investigation, available records, bank records of the concerned beneficiaries, government documents, and statements of the complainant and other individuals were examined.
“The investigation revealed that during the years 2023 and 2024, financial assistance was sanctioned and issued in the name of some individuals under the MLA Discretionary Grant Scheme, while the complainant and other concerned individuals had allegedly not applied for any such assistance,” the statement added.
It noted that during the investigation, these beneficiaries also allegedly said that after the assistance amount was credited to their bank accounts, the cash was withdrawn and handed over to them.
Based on documentary evidence and bank records collected during verification, it was prima facie revealed that the government funds were allegedly used contrary to the intended purpose and the beneficiaries did not receive the actual benefit of the amount sanctioned in their name.
Chambyal won two consecutive Assembly elections as an Independent from Dehra in 2017 and 2022. He defeated Ramesh Chand in the 2022 Assembly elections and, prior to that, defeated Ravinder Singh Ravi, also a former BJP minister, in the 2017 Assembly polls.
Chambyal was one of the three Independent MLAs extending support to the Congress government in Himachal Pradesh.
Though the Congress had 40 MLAs in the 68-member Legislative Assembly and the support of three Independent legislators, its candidate Abhishek Manu Singhvi lost the February 2024 Rajya Sabha election as six Congress MLAs and three Independent MLAs, including Chambyal, cross-voted in favour of BJP's Harsh Mahajan.
This came as a major setback for the Congress.
Chambyal resigned as a member of the Legislative Assembly on March 22, 2024, and unsuccessfully contested the bypoll on a BJP ticket against Kamlesh Thakur, the Congress candidate and wife of Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu.