Bhawani NegiShimla, Oct. 28 -- The Himachal Pradesh High Court has quashed the state government's decision to reject a selection committee's recommendations for the Chairman of the Himachal Pradesh Electricity Regulatory Commission (HPERC), holding that the decision was arbitrary and beyond the government's powers under the Electricity Act, 2003.

A Division Bench of Justices Vivek Singh Thakur and Bhupesh Sharma allowed a petition filed by Pankaj Rai, a serving IAS officer currently posted as Deputy Director (Administration) at PGIMER, Chandigarh, and directed the state government to complete the appointment process from the panel recommended on September 14, 2025, by November 10, 2026.

The court set aside the government's decision dated ...