[Item D-9]

CWPIL No. 53 of 2025

The present case is a classical case of abject surrender by the Deputy Commissioner, Kullu, and the Superintendent of Police, Mandi and inspite of the fact that this Court is seized of a serious issue regarding rave parties in Mandi and Kullu way back year earlier on 15th July, 2025.

While dealing with other matters, the present CWPIL No. 53 of 2025 had been registered by noting as under:-

“6. CWPIL No. 53 of 2025 has also been registered and put up, whereby the Himalayan Environment Protection Society, Kullu, has brought to our notice that there are “Rave Parties” happening at Kasol, Jibhi, Manali and other parts of Kullu, which are being organized in the name of Tourism. It has been pointed out that without the shelter of big wigs and political patronage, these parties cannot be organized as entry tickets are starting from Rs.5000/- to Rs.7,00,000/- and the videos of these parties are available on the website and drugs are openly available at such events.

8. Response be filed by the State regarding the following aspects: .

(i) How many FIRs are lodged in ManHdi and Kullu Districts regarding the issues of “Rave Parties” and how many people have been arrested and their age brackets?

(ii) Whether any organizers as such have been identified and whether inquiry has been made as to the income, which is being generated from these “Rave Parties” and how this income is being distributed amongst the organizers?

(iii) Whether any action has been taken to confiscate or attach the property of such organizers?”

The said observations had come on account of the fact that we were already seized of the issue of NDPS cases and the fact that the State was putting forth that it was projecting a “Drug-Free Himachal App” under the toll-free Nasha Nivaran Helpline 1908, projecting that the number of NDPS cases had been reduced. On 5th May, 2026, we had noticed that the affidavit filed by the Superintendent of Police, Mandi, did not inspire any confidence and he had been directed to file a fresh affidavit. Apparently, no affidavit had been filed by the Superintendent of Police, Kullu.

During the vacation on 09.06.2026, it had come to the notice of this Court, through the Vacation Bench, that newspapers had reported that thousands of revellers had converged at Mini Israel in Kasol and rave culture had returned to Parvati Valley under the nose of the Government being organized at Green Forest-I and Green Forest-II from 7.6.2026 to 11.6.2026 and were being promoted aggressively by the organizing companies. It was apparently noticed that, on payment of amounts ranging from Rs.10,000/- to Rs.16,000/- per participant, visitors from as far as Bangalore, Hyderabad, Goa, Delhi, Chandigarh and overseas destinations like Israel were flockfing to the venue.

Resultantly, report from the Secretary, District Legal Services Authority and necessary affidavits from the concerned Deputy Commissioner, District Kullu, and the Superintendents of Police were called for.

The report of the Secretary, District Legal Services Authority, who had visited the spot on 9th June, 2026, would go on to show that the fears of the Court, as such, stood confirmed, as the events were being organized by one Yashpal and one Ishwar Singh, who had obtained sound permissions from the SDM concerned on 6th June, 2026 (Annexures A-1 & A-2). Inspite of the fact that there was a report by the DSP dated 5th June, 2026 regarding police clearance for the issuance of the sound permissions, and, it had been reported that the possibility of consumption, trafficking of narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances, and other unlawful activities by unscrupulous elements, could not be ruled out. The venue was stated situated at a distance of 5.5 to 6 kilometres from Kasol market and was an isolated place surr