Shimla, June 1 -- The Himachal Pradesh High Court has taken suo motu cognisance of the demolition of the historic gate of the US Club in Shimla during a road-widening exercise and has sought an explanation from the state government and the Municipal Corporation (MC) Shimla.

A Division Bench comprising Chief Justice Gurmeet Singh Sandhawalia and Justice Bipin Chander Negi initiated proceedings after taking note of media reports highlighting the removal of the iconic structure.

The court has issued notices to the Secretary of the Public Works Department (PWD) and the Municipal Commissioner, Shimla, directing them to file detailed status reports on the circumstances that led to the demolition.

The matter has been registered as a Public In...