Shimla (Himachal Pradesh) [India], October 24 (ANI): A second FIR has been registered against Himachal Pradesh cadre IPS officer and Deputy Inspector General of Police Sanjeev Kumar Gandhi over alleged financial irregularities and diversion of government funds earmarked for the repair and maintenance of police buildings and personnel residences during his tenure as Superintendent of Police (SP), Shimla.
According to a statement issued by the Himachal Pradesh Police, the FIR was registered at Shimla Police Station on October 22 under Section 316(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), following findings of an audit committee constituted by the Police Headquarters.
The audit examined expenditure of approximately Rs 1.28 crore allocated between 2022-23 and 2024-25 for the repair and maintenance of police buildings and official residences.
It found that Rs 14,07,392 had been shown as expenditure on Gandhi’s official residence, ‘Southwood’, in Shimla, although no specific budget had been sanctioned by the government or Police Headquarters for repairs to the property. The audit also found no record of prior permission or approval from the competent authority for the work.
The report further flagged the alleged diversion of Rs 2.80 lakh sanctioned for the residence of the Sub-Divisional Police Officer (SDPO) in Rampur towards the then SP’s official residence in Shimla.
Similarly, Rs 2.50 lakh earmarked for repairs to a guard post at the Shoghi police barrier was withdrawn on the grounds that the work had been completed in February 2023. The amount was subsequently shown as expenditure on the SP’s residence, while the audit found no evidence that the proposed repairs had been carried out at Shoghi.
The audit also recorded expenditure of Rs 1.62 lakh in 2023-24, and Rs 7.22 lakh in 2024-25 on works at the official residence, but the necessary prior approvals and recommendations of the district-level committee were not available in the records.
For 2025-26, of the 50 works proposed under a budget of Rs 28.67 lakh, records showed that 22 had been executed, including 13 that were outside the scope of the originally approved proposals. The audit committee raised objections to expenditure on works that deviated from the approved plans.
The police statement said it was particularly concerning that funds intended for essential repairs to police personnel’s residences and workplaces had allegedly been spent on the official residence of the then SP. It pointed out that the Shoghi police post continued to operate from a container, forcing personnel to perform their duties under difficult conditions.
“The diversion of funds, specifically those earmarked for the welfare and basic amenities of police personnel, toward other purposes without proper authorisation is a serious matter,” the police statement said.
The latest case comes a day after an FIR was registered against Gandhi over allegations of cheating, financial irregularities and misappropriation of government funds. The earlier case followed a complaint by a police constable who alleged that he had not been reimbursed Rs 1.87 lakh spent on official arrangements.
Gandhi has termed the cases a “witch-hunt” and denied the allegations, saying he had done no wrong and was being pressured to silence his voice against alleged wrongdoing.
Gandhi, a 2012-batch IPS officer of the Himachal Pradesh cadre who entered the service through promotion from the State Police Service, served as Shimla SP from January 2023 until February 7, 2026. He was promoted to DIG in January this year and has subsequently undergone several changes in assignment.
He was recently posted as Managing Director of the Himachal Pradesh Backwards Classes Finance and Development Corporation in Kangra, after serving as DIG (Traffic, Tourism and Railways).
Before his Shimla posting, Gandhi served in several policing assignments, including as SP in Kullu, Kangra and Una, besides serving as Commandant of the 1st Himachal Pradesh Armed Police Battalion at Junga in Shimla district.
During his tenure as SP, Kangra, in 2017, he led operations against drug and mining mafias. His actions were followed by three transfers within 15 days. In 2022, he received the DGP Disc and Best Administrator Award for his work against the drug mafia.
Gandhi has also been involved in several high-profile controversies. In May 2025, while heading a Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the death of Himachal Pradesh Power Corporation Limited Chief Engineer Vimal Negi, he publicly accused senior police and administrative officials of obstructing the investigation.
Negi’s body was found in Gobind Sagar lake on March 18, 2025. The Himachal Pradesh High Court subsequently transferred the case to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).
The investigation had triggered a public confrontation between Gandhi and then senior officials, including former DGP Atul Verma, former DGP Sanjay Kundu and then Chief Secretary Prabodh Saxena.
Gandhi levelled allegations against them, which have not been established as fact by the details available here.
Gandhi had also been associated with a police recruitment committee that raised concerns over alleged irregularities in the recruitment process in 2021-22, prompting a CBI investigation.
In another controversy, he accused BJP MLA Sudhir Sharma of orchestrating horse-trading during the February 2024 Rajya Sabha elections, when six Congress MLAs cross-voted in favour of BJP candidate Harsh Mahajan.
The latest FIR adds to the legal and administrative challenges facing the officer. The allegations concerning the use of police maintenance funds remain subject to investigation, and the registration of an FIR does not by itself establish guilt. (ANI)
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