In a significant development, the Himachal Pradesh High Court has ordered the appointment of an IPS officer instead of an HPS officer as Superintendent of Police (SP), Kullu, over failure of appropriate action on cases of rave parties and drug trafficking in Kasol.

The court also transferred the Kullu District Magistrate and the concerned SDM and ordered the appointment of new officers. The state government has been directed to comply with these orders within a week.

Given the seriousness of the matter, a division bench comprising Chief Justice GS Sandhawalia and Justice BC Negi also ordered the formation of a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to investigate the collusion between the district administration and the organisers of the rave parties.

Coming down heavily on the district administration, the High Court stated that it had prior intelligence input that these parties could involve widespread drug use and trafficking, yet they were still allowed to take place.

What officials found at party sites after HC's intervention

Following an earlier High Court intervention, the Secretary of the District Legal Services Authority, Kullu, visited the site on June 9, 2026. In his report, the Secretary stated that the organisers of the event only produced a letter of approval for the sound system, while alcohol was also being served during the inspection.

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A separate stall was set up for this purpose, equipped with large refrigerators to store beer bottles and ice cubes. The organisers did not have the necessary permits to serve alcohol at the venue. During the inspection, empty liquor bottles (beer and whiskey bottles), cigarette butts, "Perfect Rolls," and rolling papers were found.

"Perfect Rolls" and rolling papers are used to fill and burn a mixture of marijuana and tobacco for smoking. Drug use was widespread at the venue. CCTV cameras were installed there, so their DVRs containing the recordings have been preserved.

A large stage was built, with dedicated space for a DJ and a loud music system. Furthermore, it was observed that the venue was large enough to accommodate four to five thousand people. Furthermore, it was found that eight to ten temporary toilets were installed to cater to such a large crowd.

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Russian woman died of overdose

A foreign national, Daria Kuzminykh, a resident of Russia, died of a suspected drug overdose, and a postmortem was ordered. The final report regarding the exact cause of death is awaited.

The secretary also reported that local police filed an FIR against two tourists who were caught with cocaine and ecstasy pills at the scene.