The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has issued a summons to former Uttarakhand Chief Minister and senior Congress leader, Harish Rawat, in connection with a case related to alleged bribery and horse-trading. This case centers around a purported video in which Rawat, who was the Chief Minister of Uttarakhand at the time, was seen involved in negotiations to secure the support of rebel MLAs who had switched to the BJP, with the apparent aim of regaining power.
In 2019, the CBI registered a case against Harish Rawat, along with former Cabinet Minister Harak Singh Rawat and Umesh Kumar, the CEO of Samachar Plus News Channel, over their alleged involvement in horse-trading. CBI officials recently met Harish Rawat at Dehradun's Jolly Grant Hospital, where he was receiving medical treatment following a minor car accident earlier in the week. During this meeting, they handed over the summons to him at the hospital.
Harish Rawat took to Facebook to share images of his interaction with CBI officials and commented on the situation, expressing his surprise at receiving the notice from the CBI at the hospital. He suggested that this act by the CBI implied that they believed there was a more pressing issue threatening the country's integrity, unity, security, and democracy. This statement conveyed a sense of irony and was somewhat critical of the timing.
The case against Harish Rawat was initiated after the Uttarakhand High Court, on September 30, 2019, granted permission to the CBI to file a First Information Report (FIR) against him. The CBI's decision to pursue this case was based on a report it had submitted during the preliminary inquiry.
The alleged video that triggered this investigation depicted Harish Rawat, who was then serving as the Chief Minister of Uttarakhand, engaged in negotiations aimed at securing the support of rebel MLAs who had defected to the BJP. The motive behind these negotiations was to enable his return to power.
In 2016, Harish Rawat had previously faced accusations related to horse trading following a sting operation conducted by a news channel. This operation had recorded Rawat participating in discussions regarding the possible poaching of MLAs, which raised concerns about his political behavior.
After his government in Uttarakhand collapsed in 2017, both the state government and the high court ordered a CBI probe into the matter. Harish Rawat, a five-time Member of Parliament, served as the Chief Minister of Uttarakhand from 2014 to 2017.
