Congress seeks Uttarakhand CM Trivendra Singh Rawat's resignation after SC stays CBI probe

Congress on Friday, October 30, yet again demanded the resignation of Uttarakhand Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat on the basis of alleged corruption allegations against him. Party general secretary Harish Rawat said the Chief Minister should resign on moral grounds even after the Supreme Court stayed an order of the Uttarakhand High Court for CBI probe against the chief minister. Rawat has been accused of alleged money transfers to accounts of his relatives in 2016 to back a particular individual to head the Jharkhand Gau Seva Ayog.

READ | CBI to probe corruption allegations against Uttarakhand CM Trivendra Singh Rawat

SC stays CBI probe against Rawat

The Supreme Court on Thursday, October 29, stayed an order of the Uttarakhand High Court directing the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to register an FIR against Chief Minister on the basis of allegations levelled against him. Further, the bench of the apex court, headed by Justice Ashok Bhushan issued notice to the CBI and two journalists against whom the FIR was quashed by the High Court returnable within four weeks.

READ | 'Uttarakhand received Rs 25,000 crore investment in 3.5 years': CM Trivendra Singh Rawat

Attorney General KK Venugopal, who appeared for the Trivendra Singh Rawat, presented that the Chief Minister was not a party to this case and the Uttarakhand High Court's single-judge bench had ordered a CBI probe without hearing the CM's side. Further, the Uttarakhand government had approached the Supreme Court against the High Court's order, which quashed a First Information Report (FIR) registered against two journalists for cheating and forgery, and directed the CBI to register an FIR against the Chief Minister. Earlier on Tuesday, the Uttarakhand High Court had quashed the FIR registered by the state government against two journalists Umesh Sharma and Shiv Prasad Semwal  for cheating, forgery, and several other sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC)

READ | Uttarakhand CM asks Harish Rawat to reveal mystery of 'friendship with blackmailer'

Corruption allegation against Rawat

The corruption allegation against Rawat was reportedly levelled by a Jharkhand-resident identified as AS Chauhan. Chauhan claimed that in 2016 he had struck a deal with Rawat worth Rs 25 lakh for his appointment as chairman Jharkhand Gau Sewa Aayog. Rawat at that time was the state in-charge of Jharkhand BJP.

READ | COVID-19: Uttarakhand reports 305 new cases, tally reaches 61,566

(With agency inputs)