Former Uttarakhand Chief Minister Harish Rawat has received a notice from the CBI, requesting his presence at a CBI court on July 4 to provide a voice sample related to a 2016 sting operation.
A CBI team visited Rawat’s residence in Dehradun on Thursday morning while the Congress leader was out meeting people on Eid al-Adha. Rawat later contacted the CBI team and assured them of his full cooperation.
Rawat stated, “I will fully cooperate with the CBI investigation. It is important for the truth to be revealed to the people of Uttarakhand and the country. I invite the CBI to serve me the notice on June 29.”
The sting video in question emerged in 2016 after nine Congress MLAs rebelled against Rawat, leading to the dismissal of the Congress government by the BJP-led Centre. Rawat eventually returned to power after winning a floor test that summer.
The Congress party’s performance was impacted in the next Assembly elections, with the BJP winning 57 seats compared to the Congress’ 11 seats.
The sting video allegedly showed Rawat discussing a pay-off with rebel Congress MLA Harak Singh Rawat. Another video emerged showing Congress MLA Madan Singh Bisht claiming he convinced Rawat to pay money to Congress MLAs.
Rawat dismissed the sting operation as fabricated and called for an inquiry into the assets of the individual who recorded the videos, Umesh Kumar.
In October 2019, the CBI filed charges against Rawat, Harak Singh, and Kumar, accusing them of criminal conspiracy, bribery, and violating the Prevention of Corruption Act.
