The CBI on Tuesday questioned Uttarakhand Chief Minister Harish Rawat in connection with an extra legal probe under a Preliminary Enquiry relating to a sting operation involving him.
Rawat accompanied by some supporters and an MlA arrived at the CBI headquarters at about 11 am and was grilled till 4 pm. He will again appear before the agency on June 7. Rawat said he will present his side of the story before agency on June 7.
CBI had registered a Preliminary Enquiry (PE) on April 29 to probe the sting operation in which Rawat was purportedly shown negotiating a deal to buy the support of rebel Congress MlAs ahead of the floor test.
A Preliminary Enquiry (PE) as opposed to Regular Case (FIR) is beyond the mandate under the Criminal Procedure Code. Often the PE lingers for long periods as the agency is not bound by the provisions under the CrPC to file a final report under stipulated time period of 60 or 90 days.
The CBI had last week rejected the State Government’s notification withdrawing the nod for probing the case which was given during President’s Rule.
The Uttarakhand High Court also did not stay the CBI probe as requested by Rawat. CBI had said the notification was rejected after taking legal opinion, which said there was no ground for its withdrawal and it was “not legally tenable”.
The agency had summoned Rawat for examination for May 9 but he had sought more time after which he won the floor test and returned to power.