2016 sting operation case: CBI summons ex-Uttarakhand CM Harish Rawat
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) summoned Congress stalwart and former Uttarakhand Chief Minister Harish Rawat on Friday in the 2016 sting operation case pertaining to horse-trading. The CBI handed Rawat the notice at Dehradun's Jolly Grant Hospital, where he is undergoing treatment following a minor car accident. Former state cabinet minister Harak Singh Rawat is also a co-accused in the case.
CBI registered case in 2019
The CBI registered the case in 2019 after receiving permission from the Uttarakhand High Court, based on a preliminary inquiry report submitted in a sealed cover. The case pertains to a video from a sting operation conducted in March 2016, which showed Rawat allegedly planning to offer bribes to rebel MLAs in lieu of support in a floor test scheduled a few days later.
Rawat became CM before 2014 Lok Sabha polls
The Congress appointed Rawat as the chief minister of Uttarakhand in February 2014, replacing hitherto CM Vijay Bahuguna, reportedly to revamp its leadership before the 2014 Lok Sabha elections. The Narendra Modi-led BJP government came to power that year. Rawat remained in power until 2017 when the Congress government in the state lost the election after a series of debacles.
President's rule imposed in Uttarakhand a day after video's release
In March 2016, Rawat's government plunged into a crisis as nine of his MLAs switched over to the BJP. Days later, the turncoats, led by Bahuguna, released the video of the sting operation, carried out by new channel Samachar Plus CEO Umesh Kumar, another co-accused in the case. A day after the video was circulated, the Centre imposed the President's rule in the state.
Rawat accepted being in the video but denied offering money
Rawat insisted the video was fake but accepted being in the video hours after Samachar Plus CEO Kumar was summoned by the CBI in May 2016. Rawat was allegedly heard saying in the video that he could offer the renegades only Rs. 5 crore, to which Kumar said he would arrange Rs. 15 crore. However, Rawat denied mentioning any monetary transaction in the video.
Rawat won floor test but lost assembly polls
Days later, Samachar Plus went off the air, and Kumar accused the Congress of creating an emergency-like situation in the hill state. Rawat managed to win the floor test as the rebel MLAs were disqualified. However, the BJP swept the 2017 assembly elections, limiting the Congress to merely 11 constituencies. The election saw Rawat lose both seats he contested, Haridwar Rural and Kichcha.
CBI court directed Rawat, Kumar, others to give voice samples
In the 2022 Uttarakhand assembly elections, Kumar won as an independent candidate in Haridwar's Khanpur seat. In July this year, a special CBI court directed the former CM, Harak, Kumar, and Congress MLA Madan Singh Bisht to submit their voice samples in the case.
