Sting CD case: Uttarakhand HC stays arrest of Harish Rawat, next hearing on June 20

The Uttarakhand High Court on Tuesday stayed the arrest of Chief Minister Harish Rawat in the alleged sting CD case. The next hearing in the case will take place on June 20. The CBI had questioned Rawat last week as part of their probe into the alleged sting operation case involving him.

Rawat was forced to appear for questioner after the investigating agency 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.

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. Rawat has denied the allegation and called the video fake after it was released by the rebel Congress legislators but later admitted that he was on camera in the sting operation.

After Rawat’s victory in the floor test, the state cabinet met on May 15 and withdrew the notification recommending a CBI probe into a sting operation involving him. Instead, the state cabinet decided to constitute a Special Investigating Team to probe the case as it was a state subject.