Himachal Pradesh News
Jubbal Princess Divya Kumari Accuses Rahul Bose of Using ‘Fake’ Himachal Domicile to Influence Rugby Body Elections
Princess Divya Kumari of the Jubbal royal family has accused actor Rahul Bose of using a questionable Himachal domicile certificate to influence rugby federation elections, prompting a High Court petition and raising concerns over transparency in sports governance.
Divya Kumari, a member of the erstwhile Jubbal royal family, has levelled serious allegations against Bollywood actor and rugby administrator Rahul Bose, questioning the legality of his Himachal Pradesh domicile certificate and his role in the state’s rugby administration.
Divya has alleged that Rahul Bose obtained a Himachal domicile certificate by providing incorrect information, allegedly to project himself as a local candidate during the election process of the Himachal Pradesh Rugby Football Union. According to her, the certificate was issued on September 24, citing that Bose had been residing in Kasauli for the past 16 years.
However, Divya contends that Rahul Bose is, in fact, a resident of Mumbai, a fact reflected in his Aadhaar card and passport. She further pointed out that Bose has previously contested elections from Maharashtra, raising questions over how he could now claim Himachali domicile status.
She alleged that in 2023, Rahul Bose had assured her that they would jointly build an official and transparent rugby structure in Himachal Pradesh. Trusting this assurance, Divya and her team established rugby units in Shimla, Kullu, Sirmaur and Solan districts. They trained players, sent teams to national-level competitions and invested their own resources to promote the sport in the state.
According to Divya, after nearly two years of sustained effort, Rahul Bose abruptly formed a new rugby association without holding proper elections or including representatives from district units. She claimed that her entire team was sidelined in one move.
Divya further alleged that Bose used his association with royal families to strengthen his influence within rugby federation politics and relied on questionable claims of Himachal residency to advance to the national level.
Raising a direct legal question, Divya asked how one individual could legally hold domicile status in two states simultaneously. She has now filed a petition in the Himachal Pradesh High Court, seeking a thorough investigation into the alleged irregularities, including the issuance of the domicile certificate, the election process and the formation of the new rugby association.
The High Court is scheduled to hear the matter next on December 18. The controversy has sparked a wider debate on transparency, governance and fairness within sports bodies in Himachal Pradesh, drawing strong reactions from the state’s sporting community.
