States » NorthPosted at: Jun 25 2025 2:00AM


Facing court wrath, HP govt appoints R.D. Dhiman as RERA chairman, ends deadlock

Shimla, June 24 (UNI) Breaking the ice just a day ahead of the High Court’s hearing, the Himachal Pradesh government has notified the long-awaited appointment of the Chairperson and Member of the Himachal Pradesh Real Estate Regulatory Authority (HP RERA), effectively complying with the court's stern directives. The move breaks the administrative impasse and prevents further embarrassment to the state in court.
According to a notification issued by the Housing Department on June 24, retired IAS officer and former Additional Chief Secretary R.D. Dhiman has been appointed as Chairperson of HP RERA, while Amit Kashyap, IAS (Retd.) has been appointed as Member. Their tenure will be for five years or until they attain the age of 65 years, whichever is earlier.
“The Governor of Himachal Pradesh is pleased to appoint the following persons as Chairperson and Member to the Himachal Pradesh Real Estate Regulatory Authority (HP RERA) R.D. Dhiman, IAS (Retd.), Chairperson and Amit Kashyap, IAS (Retd.), Member.”
The government also confirmed that Devesh Kumar, IAS, Principal Secretary (Housing), would be relieved from the additional charge of Chairperson with immediate effect upon Dhiman assuming charge.
Interestingly, RERA chairman aspirant Chief Secretary Parbodh Saxena was one of the candidates but his selection for the post retirement benefits was dropped or rejected by the selections committee (comprising of Chief Justice Gurmeet Singh Sandhwala) as CBI had booked him in INX media case along with Congress leader P Chidambaram and charges were framed against him by CBI court
This notification comes in response to strong observations made by the High Court, which had imposed a Rs. 5 lakh penalty on the state government for failing to respond to a PIL concerning the extension of Chief Secretary Prabodh Saxena, and for delay in RERA appointments.
The court had warned that if appointments were not made by June 25, Saxena would be required to appear in person.
The controversy had also drawn attention to allegations in a separate PIL that Saxena was granted a six-month extension despite being chargesheeted by the CBI in a corruption case—an issue still pending before the court.
By making the appointments ahead of the June 25 hearing, the Sukhu government has likely averted a major legal showdown, though the matter of Saxena’s extension continues to cast a shadow over the administration.
UNI ML RN
Tags: #Facing court wrath# HP govt appoints R.D. Dhiman as RERA chairman# ends deadlock
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