The Himachal Pradesh government on Tuesday appointed 1988-batch IAS officer Sanjay Gupta as the state’s chief secretary, five days ahead of his retirement. He was earlier holding the additional charge of the post.
Gupta was given the additional charge on October 1, 2025, after former chief secretary Prabodh Saxena retired on September 30. Born on June 5, 1966, Gupta holds a degree in civil engineering along with a diploma in management.
His appointment came two days after the Himachal Pradesh unit of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) sought his removal as officiating chief secretary and sought legal action against him.
CPI(M) leader and former Shimla mayor Sanjay Chauhan said the appointment raises serious questions over the functioning of the Congress government in the state. He alleged that Gupta faces serious corruption allegations linked to the Chester Hill real estate project in Solan district.
He said the government talks about zero tolerance towards corruption, but has appointed an officer against whom several corruption-related cases are pending and whose conduct has also been questioned by the court.
The CPI(M) also sought a judicial investigation into alleged violations of Section 118 of the Tenancy and Land Reforms Act related to promoters of the Chester Hill project.
Earlier, advocate Vinay Sharma had filed a complaint with the police on March 24, seeking registration of a case against government officials and others allegedly involved in benami land deals linked to Chester Hill 2 and Chester Hill 4 projects in Solan.
Sharma alleged that Gupta purchased nearly 3.18 acres of land in Kharar, Punjab, worth around Rs 25 crore, for only Rs 1.38 crore. He further claimed that money linked to the Chester Hill case may have been used for the land purchase.
Gupta has denied all allegations and claimed that two former chief secretaries were part of a conspiracy to defame him.
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