The Central Bureau of Investigation will again question Uttarakhand Chief Minister Harish Rawat on Tuesday in connection with the ongoing preliminary enquiry into an alleged sting operation against him.
The agency had earlier quizzed Mr. Rawat on May 24, almost a month after it instituted a preliminary enquiry into the allegations that he had met attempts to strike a deal with dissident MLAs through some middlemen.
After he won the trust vote on May 11, the Rawat-led State Cabinet issued a notification withdrawing the consent for CBI investigation into the allegations. However, the agency discarded the notification stating that it was legally not tenable.
The CBI initially summoned Mr. Rawat on May 10, a day before he was to face the trust vote in Uttarakhand Assembly. However, he had then sought more time to join the investigation.
The “sting” was carried out by Umesh Kumar, the chief executive officer and editor-in-chief of Noida-based TV channel Samachar Plus. On March 26, nine rebel Congress MLAs held a press conference claiming that attempts were made to bribe them for support. They also released the “sting” tapes. Hours later, the Centre had imposed President’s rule in the State.
