Uttarakhand CM summoned by CBI after being seen in a sting operation

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has summoned Uttarakhand chief minister Harish Rawat to appear before it on Tuesday, for the probe into the sting operation that allegedly features him.

The agency had last week turned down Uttarakhand government’s request quashing the case, saying there was no ground for its withdrawal and that it was “not legally tenable”. The case was handed over to the CBI when president’s rule was imposed in the state.

Uttarakhand CM, Harish Rawat

Mr Rawat has dismissed the video calling it fake after it was divulged by rebel Congress MLAs, but later admitted that he was in the clip.

CBI had registered a preliminary enquiry on April 29 to probe the video reportedly showing Rawat offering bribes to rebel Congress MLAs in exchange for their support in the assembly floor test. It had summoned the CM on May 9 but he had sought more time. After Rawat’s victory in the floor test, the state cabinet on May 15 withdrew the notification recommending a CBI investigation and decided to set up a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to go into the case.

The Chief Minister had failed to get a reprieve from Uttarakhand High Court which had refused to withdraw the ongoing CBI probe into the sting operation. On May 20, Justice Sarvesh Kumar Gupta of the Uttarakhand High Court ruled out the possibility of quashing the CBI probe into the sting CD at this stage.

By Isha Kulkarni

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