Himachal Pradesh High Court Takes Note Of News Report On 'Rave Party' In Kasol, Orders Spot Inspection

Taking serious note of a newspaper report regarding an alleged large-scale 'Rave Party' happening at Kasol (Kullu District), the Himachal Pradesh High Court recently ordered a spot inspection by the Secretary, District Legal Services Authority (DLSA), Kullu, at the suspected site. A bench of Justice Romesh Verma instructed the DLSA Secretary to conduct the inspection with the assistance of the local administration and the police authorities, and to submit his report within 10 days. The single judge passed this order in a pending Suo-motu Public Interest Litigation, initially registered in 2025, based on a letter from the Himalayan Environment Protection Society, Kullu. The society had brought to the Court's notice that "Rave Parties" are taking place in Kasol, Jibhi, Manali, and other parts of Kullu, and are being organised in the name of Tourism. The letter had further claimed that drugs were openly available at such events, and entry tickets were being sold at exorbitant prices starting from Rs. 5,000/- and going up to Rs. 7,00,000/-. However, in his October 2025 affidavit filed pursuant to the Court's order, the Superintendent of Police, Kullu, stated that local police had visited the proposed event venues and maintained that no FIR had been registered in the district regarding rave parties. Similarly, the SP Mandi had also stated that no FIR had been registered in his District regarding rave parties, and no person had been arrested to date. The bench was also apprised that the administration had maintained strict vigil in the District regarding rave parties being organised, and that there was no record available with it of the income generated by the organiser(s) of music events. However, the High Court intervened in the PIL once again after taking on record photographs and a news article published in the Himbumail newspaper under the heading: "thousands of revellers converge at Mini Israel in Kasol as raves return to Parvati Valley under the nose of Government". The newspaper reported that a 4-day event was being organised from 7th June to 11th June, 2026, and it was being promoted aggressively by the organising body. It also reported that ticket prices range from Rs. 10,000/- to Rs. 16,000/- per participant, attracting visitors from Chandigarh, Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Goa, and overseas destinations such as Israel. It further mentioned that as many as 10,000/- reservations have been booked for the event, and the main organisers are Israelis. The bench also took note of videos of high-decibel music circulating on social media to attract more and more people and make money. Against this backdrop, Justice Verma directed a spot inspection and sought personal affidavits from the Deputy Commissioner and the Superintendent of Police, Kullu. The affidavits must respond to the newspaper report, especially in view of the October 2025 affidavit filed by the SP, Kullu, which broadly denied the existence of any registered FIRs in the matter. The case has now been listed on June 18, 2026, before the appropriate Bench for the submission of both the DLSA report and the officials' personal affidavits.Click Here To Read/Download Order

Himachal Pradesh High Court Takes Note Of News Report On 'Rave Party' In Kasol, Orders Spot Inspection

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Himachal Pradesh High Court Takes Note Of News Report On 'Rave Party' In Kasol, Orders Spot Inspection

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