In the case of the sting operation carried out against former Chief Minister Harish Rawat during president’s rule in Uttarakhand in 2016, the High Court of Uttarakhand has issued notices to Cabinet Minister Harak Singh Rawat, former Dwarahat MlA Madan Singh Bisht, a news channel owner Umesh Sharma, Central and State Governments along with the Central Bureau of Investigation, seeking response in four weeks. The division bench of acting chief justice Rajiv Sharma and justice Manoj Tiwari issued the notices while hearing on a public interest litigation filed by Jan Sangharsh Morcha president Raghunath Singh Negi.
It will be recalled that a sting operation had been broadcast on a news channel showing Harish Rawat allegedly discussing details of purchasing the support of MlAs with Sharma. Some time later another sting operation was broadcast showing Harak Singh Rawat and Madan Bisht reportedly acknowledging horse trading. Negi informed the media on Tuesday that in his PIl, he had appealed to the high court that the history of those who had carried out the sting operation against Harish Rawat should also be investigated. He said, “Those who had conducted the sting operation were not guided by public interest but by personal motives and one of them-Umesh Sharma had various cases including blackmailing and fraud already lodged against him. Harak Singh Rawat- against whom the case of allegedly usurping land and other cases were raised even in the Vidhan Sabha, was instrumental in getting the sting operation conducted for ulterior gains. I had demanded that the CBI should probe all those who had conducted the sting operation. Since a CBI probe is already underway in the case, we had sought that the CBI should also probe those behind the sting operation along with probing Harish Rawat.”