Relief for Rawat as HC stays his arrest

DEHRADUN: The Uttarakhand high court stayed on Tuesday a possible arrest of chief minister Harish Rawat over a sting that showed him negotiating a deal to lure dissident

DEHRADUN: The Uttarakhand high court stayed on Tuesday a possible arrest of chief minister Harish Rawat over a sting that showed him negotiating a deal to lure dissident Congress lawmakers to back him during a floor test.

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Justice Sudhansu Dhulia refused to intervene and asked Rawat to cooperate with the CBI, which is conducting a preliminary inquiry.

The consent for a CBI probe was given by governor KK Paul when the hill state was under President’s rule.

The state was under President’s rule for nearly two months since March 27 after nine Congress MLAs revolted against the Rawat government and sided with the opposition BJP. Rawat was reinstated after he won a Supreme Court-monitored trust vote on May 10.

The controversial video — released on March 26 — shows the deposed chief minster trying to lure dissident Congress lawmakers with money and plum posts to support him in a floor test in the assembly on March 28, which never happened.

The video, authenticated by the Chandigarh-based central forensic science laboratory later, was partly instrumental in bringing the state under central rule as allegations of horse-trading swirled.

Rawat had admitted his presence in the video but dared critics to prove if he was making any offer in cash or kind. “Hang me on the clock tower (in Dehradun) if I had done wrong.”

He challenged the probe in the high court on May 20 and had skipped summonses by the agency. His cabinet had even passed a resolution to cancel the CBI probe, though central investigating agency rejected the decision.

The chief minister went to the CBI headquarters in New Delhi on May 24, where he was quizzed for five hours. He has to appear before agency on June 7 again.

On Tuesday, the high court issued notice to Congress rebel Harak Singh Rawat, who did a second sting in May.