Shimla, April 25 -- In a landmark and far-reaching judgment, the Himachal Pradesh High Court has struck down a controversial state legislation, terming it "illegal, unconstitutional and nullified," while also quashing employee-related orders and granting sweeping relief to petitioners in more than 260 connected cases.

The verdict was delivered on April 25, 2026, by a Division Bench comprising Justice Vivek Singh Thakur and Justice Romesh Verma, which had reserved judgment on January 5, 2026, after extensive hearings in a batch of petitions led by CWP No. 3361 of 2025 (Devinder Kumar & Others vs State of Himachal Pradesh & Another).

The High Court held that the "impugned Act" enacted by the State was unconstitutional as it attempted to o...