Sting case: Harish Rawat says he has faith in judiciary

Former Uttarakhand chief minister Harish Rawat, who is facing CBI inquiry in a sting case, has expressed faith in the judiciary and said the episode will put to test several institutions.

A sting video had surfaced during President's rule in Uttarakhand in 2016 purportedly showing Rawat in conversation with a news channel head negotiating a money deal to buy the support of disgruntled party MLAs, who had crossed over to the BJP in a bid to get back to power "I have faith in the judiciary and God.

Shouldn't the role of defectors and their co-actors also be probed. I am confident that in the history of the country's judicial history this episode will put to test several institutions," Rawat said in a social media post on Wednesday night.

The AICC general secretary said he would not have gained anything by buying the support of defecting MLAs against whom the process of disqualification had already been initiated by the Speaker of the state assembly. "Time does not listen to anyone's dictates and eventually does justice," he said in a post on Facebook.

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He said he will always co-operate with the investigating agency in the probe. The Pradesh Congress has rallied behind Rawat, accusing the Centre of framing its leaders in false cases. "The party stands like a rock behind Harish Rawat. A conspiracy is underway throughout the country to cow down and silence the Congress by misusing agencies like the CBI and the ED against its leaders," PCC senior vice president Suryakant Dhasmana charged.

Describing the FIR against Rawat in the sting case as part of this conspiracy, he said an alleged taped conversation three years ago does not offer enough ground for registering a case. Expressing dismay at the CBI move, he said, "Our government fell, our MLAs were bought and yet a case was also registered against us". Former PCC president Kishore Upadhyay said "using the CBI as an instrument to harass opposition leaders was highly condemnable".

-PTI

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