Uncle, brother of Hamirpur BJP MLA get bail in illegal mining case

The sessions court in Himachal Pradesh’s Hamirpur has granted regular bail to the uncle and brother of local BJP MLA Ashish Kumar in an illegal mining case, officials said on Saturday.

Accordingly, the MLA’s brother, Umesh Sharma and uncle, Praveen Sharma, walked out of jail after spending 17 days in judicial custody.

The two accused had surrendered on April 15, after which the local court had remanded both to judicial custody.

The case dates back to August 13, 2025, when police raided the Mahalaxmi Stone Crusher in Pungh Khad under the Sujanpur police station limits, in which Praveen and Umesh were partners.

During the raid, police seized stones, gravel, machinery and other items and registered a case of illegal mining.

Police also booked two employees of the stone crusher, both of whom were granted anticipatory bail by the Supreme Court on March 19, 2026, while similar pleas by Praveen and Umesh were rejected.