The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Thursday summoned ousted Uttarakhand Chief Minister Harish Rawat to Delhi for questioning on Monday in a corruption case, officials said.
Mr. Rawat has said the sting operation is fake and that “if any evidence is found against me, like me offering money or post to anybody, hang me at Clock Tower.” The Clock Tower is a landmark in the heart of state capital Dehradun.
The sting video – shot by a private TV channel and released by rebel leaders – showed the chief minister purportedly talking to a man whose face is not visible.
The nine rebel Congress leaders claimed that Rawat had tried to win their support by offering them money.
The CBI on April 29 started investigating a videographed “sting operation” in which Rawat was purportedly seen talking to middlemen in a bid to strike a deal with dissident Congress MLAs to support him during a floor test in the 70-member Uttarakhand house.
Two days before Rawat was to face the vote of confidence on March 28, rebel Congress MLAs led by former chief minister Vijay Bahuguna alleged that they were offered bribe by Rawat for support during the floor test in the Assembly and released video of a “sting” operation purportedly showing Rawat.
The Union Home Ministry sent a CD of the video to the forensics laboratory in Chandigarh to examine its authenticity.
A CBI source said the forensic report “confirmed” that the CD was genuine after “which Harish Rawat was asked to appear on Monday for questioning”.
The BJP, which is the main opposition party in the state, had earlier demanded a CBI probe into the case, claiming that Rawat had lost his credibility after the CD came to the fore.
