Himachal Pradesh Governor Urmilla Singh has granted sanction to prosecute former Chief Minister PK Dhumal in a case related to the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association, HPCA.

It is considered a major setback for the BJP in Himachal Pradesh ahead of Lok Sabha polls. The state's Vigilance and Anti Corruption Bureau will soon file the charge-sheet in the case.

Bureau sources said, 18 persons have been named in the charge-sheet. Prominent among them are Mr Dhumal, his MP son Anurag Thakur, and two Additional Chief Secretaries.

Mr Dhumal has been charged with misuse of his office as Chief Minister to grant approvals for allotment of land to HPCA headed by his son, besides other offences under the IPC.