Himachal Court Grants Bail in High-Profile Illegal Mining Case

The sessions court in Himachal Pradesh's Hamirpur granted bail to BJP MLA Ashish Kumar's uncle and brother in an illegal mining case. Praveen and Umesh Sharma were involved in the Mahalaxmi Stone Crusher raid on August 13, 2025, and spent 17 days in custody before being released.

The sessions court in Himachal Pradesh’s Hamirpur district has granted regular bail to the uncle and brother of local BJP MLA Ashish Kumar in connection with an illegal mining case, officials revealed on Saturday.

Umesh Sharma and Praveen Sharma, relatives of the MLA, were released from custody after spending 17 days in judicial detention. They had voluntarily surrendered on April 15 following a police raid at the Mahalaxmi Stone Crusher in Pungh Khad, an area under Sujanpur police station, on August 13, 2025.

During the raid, law enforcement officers seized a substantial amount of stones, gravel, and machinery, among other items, leading to the registration of an illegal mining case. While two stone crusher employees received anticipatory bail from the Supreme Court on March 19, 2026, similar pleas by Praveen and Umesh were denied until now.