SHIMLA: The Himachal Pradesh High Court has issued notices to the state and central governments, the CBI, the Enforcement Directorate, and the non-agricultural promoters of the Chester Hills housing project in Solan, regarding alleged illegalities in the execution of this multi-crore venture on approximately 275 bighas of agricultural land.
While hearing a Public Interest Litigation (PIL), a division bench of the high court, consisting of Chief Justice Gurmeet Singh Sandhawalia and Justice Bipin Chander Negi, acknowledged allegations related to violations of Section 118 of the Himachal Pradesh Tenancy and Land Reforms Act, 1972, which restricts the sale of agricultural land to non-agriculturists.
The petition referenced a report from the sub-divisional officer (SDO) of Solan, which was prompted by complaints regarding alleged statutory and administrative negligence concerning the issue.
The report found that, although the ownership of land in the Chester Hills-2 and Chester Hills-4 projects remained with a local agriculturist, significant control over development and marketing was allegedly exercised by two non-agricultural promoters through the Chester Hills partnership firm, in collaboration with a separate enterprise owned by their fathers.
Additionally, the report detailed the acquisition of nearly 275 bighas of land and the execution of housing projects valued at approximately ₹47.09 crore. It raised concerns over the financial capacity as indicated in the income tax returns of the Himachal Pradesh agriculturist and suggested that the arrangement needed investigation by the Enforcement Directorate and the Income Tax authorities to determine if it was designed to bypass legal restrictions on land transfers to non-agriculturists.
The petitioner claimed that the statutory process under Section 118 was compromised following an order dated December 6, 2025, which invalidated the SDO’s findings without adequately addressing the issues raised in the report.
The petition also mentioned that the Real Estate Regulatory Authority (RERA) had persistently sought information from the Solan administration concerning complaints related to the project. The case is set to be heard again on July 20.
