CBI files FIR against ex-Uttarakhand CM Harish Rawat in horse-trading case

In a major trouble for former Uttarakhand Chief Minister Harish Rawat, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Wednesday filed a case against Rawat in connection with a 2016 sting video that showed the former Uttarakhand CM negotiating a deal to garner the support of rebel MLAs.

It may be recalled that the CBI was allowed by the Uttarakhand HC in September 2019 to register a case against Rawat. The Uttarakhand HC gave its nod after the CBI submitted a report in a sealed cover to the court. Besides Rawat, Harak Singh Rawat and Umesh Kumar, who were cabinet minister in Rawat's government, have also been named in the FIR.

In the sting video, Rawat can be seen offering bribes to rebel Congress MLAs in order to earn their support in the assembly floor test which took place in 2016. For his part, Rawat had claimed that the video was doctored. It is to be noted that the video was released by rebel Congress MLAs.