Shimla, March 28 -- A major political and legal controversy has surfaced in Himachal Pradesh over alleged large-scale benami land transactions in Solan district, with the issue resonating both inside the State Assembly and through a formal police complaint seeking registration of an FIR.

The matter came to the fore on Saturday, the 12th day of the ongoing Budget Session of the assembly, with BJP MLA Satpal Satti accusing sections of the administrative and police machinery of shielding illegal land dealings linked to the Chester Hill-2 and Chester Hill-4 projects.

Citing findings of a fact-finding inquiry conducted by the Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM), Solan, Satti alleged that nearly 275-278 bighas of land were involved in 'systematic...