HC tells CBI to file FIR, probe allegations against Uttarakhand CM Rawat
According to the allegations in the petition, one Jharkhand-based AS Chauhan had claimed that he knew TS Rawat (present chief minister of Uttarakhand) who was the state in-charge of BJP of Jharkhand had in 2016 struck a deal worth Rs 25 lakh with Rawat (CM) for his appointment as chairman Jharkhand Gau Sewa Aayog.
Uttarakhand high court on Tuesday directed the Central Bureau of Investigation to register a case and investigate allegations against chief minister Trivendra Singh Rawat.
In July, Dr Harender Singh Rawat, a retired professor, wrote to police to conduct an inquiry into the allegations. The HC has quashed the FIR against Umesh Kumar and the other petitioner. (PTI)
The HC in its 83-page order, while hearing writ petitions filed by Umesh Kumar and Shiv Prasad Semwal, said “...In view of the nature of the allegations, this Court is of the view that the CBI should be directed to lodge an FIR on the basis of allegations levelled...and investigate the case.”
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According to the allegations in the petition, one Jharkhand-based AS Chauhan had claimed that he knew TS Rawat (present chief minister of Uttarakhand) who was the state in-charge of BJP of Jharkhand had in 2016 struck a deal worth Rs 25 lakh with Rawat (CM) for his appointment as chairman Jharkhand Gau Sewa Aayog.
The petition filed by Umesh Kumar, a journalist, also sought quashing of FIR filed against him in July this year. According to HC order, on June 24, 2020, Umesh Kumar uploaded a video on social media, showing documents with certain bank accounts allegedly belonging to Dr Harender Singh Rawat and his wife Savita Rawat, claiming that after demonetisation in 2016, money was deposited in their accounts, which was “meant as a bribe for Trivendra Singh Rawat” . “In the video, the petitioner also claimed that Savita Rawat is the real sister of the wife of TS Rawat”, it said. In July, Dr Harender Singh Rawat, a retired professor, wrote to police to conduct an inquiry into the allegations. The HC has quashed the FIR against Umesh Kumar and the other petitioner.
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Welcoming the order, Darshan Singh Rawat, media coordinator of the CM said, “We also want this to be investigated so that people come to know about the truth.”
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Welcoming the order, Darshan Singh Rawat, media coordinator of the CM said, “We also want this to be investigated so that people come to know about the truth.”
Neeraj Santoshi is the Chief of Bureau for Hindustan Times in Uttarakhand, where he leads the state reporting team while covering government, politics, environment, wildlife, Uttarakhand High Court, and issues shaping the Himalayan region. With more than two decades in journalism across conflict zones, he has covered politically sensitive regions and environmentally fragile landscapes, and focused on stories that combine public interest with in-depth storytelling. An alumnus of Pune University with a Master’s in Communication Studies, he has reported extensively from Jammu & Kashmir (2003-2010), Madhya Pradesh (2010 to 2018 ) and Uttarakhand (Since 2018), covering subjects ranging from insurgency, elections and governance to wildlife conservation, mining, climate change, agriculture, human rights and social justice. He has covered politics and legislative assemblies of both Jammu & Kashmir and Madhya Pradesh over more than a decade. Before taking over as Chief of Bureau in Uttarakhand, he served as Special Correspondent with Hindustan Times in Madhya Pradesh and earlier reported for both Hindustan Times and The Indian Express in Jammu & Kashmir, where he covered state politics, environment and insurgency-related developments. Over the years, his stories have focused on environmental degradation, wildlife, illegal mining, governance and the changing social fabric of Himalayan states and Central India. He is particularly interested in long-form explanatory journalism, and stories that explore the intersection of ecology, conservation, governance and society. Outside the newsroom, Neeraj enjoys reading widely on neuroscience, consciousness studies, Artificial Intelligence and quantum physics, with a special interest in Kashmiri Tantric Shaivist traditions. He is also passionate about wildlife, mountaineering and the Himalayas, interests that continue to inform his reporting and deepen his understanding of the region he covers.
