By Arun Pratap Singh
Garhwal Post Bureau
DEHRADUN, 19 Jul: Reacting sharply to the Enforcement Directorate (ED) filing a chargesheet against him in a special court, senior Congress leader Harak Singh Rawat on Saturday vehemently rejected the allegations, terming them part of a politically driven conspiracy. He asserted that the central agency had been used to target him and challenged the ED to establish his guilt in court. He asserted that he has unwavering confidence in the judiciary and claimed that if proven guilty, he would retire from politics, but if exonerated, he would initiate legal proceedings against those orchestrating the alleged conspiracy.
In an informal interaction with a section of media, Rawat accused his adversaries of maligning his image through fabricated charges. He expressed contentment that the matter had now been transferred from the ED to the court, where he pledged to fight for justice with full vigour. Referring to the controversial land purchase in Sahaspur, Rawat clarified that the property in question had been bought in 2002 from Sushila Rani, its owner since 1962. He claimed that all the land documents were in his possession and predicted that the ED’s legal team would struggle to respond convincingly once the trial commenced.
Rawat alleged that the agency’s actions were politically motivated and directed by external powers aiming to harm his political career. Reiterating his intent to retire from politics if proven guilty, he expressed his resolve to file a defamation suit against the conspirators if acquitted. He further criticised officials of the Enforcement Directorate for what he termed as undue harassment over unfounded allegations.
In a scathing attack on the Bharatiya Janata Party, Rawat lamented that the party, with which he had started his political journey before switching to Congress and later returning to the BJP, has lost its ideological direction. He claimed the BJP is now misusing central agencies for settling political scores, and stated that he harboured no remorse over quitting the party.
It may be recalled that in a statement issued yesterday, the ED has shared that it has filed a chargesheet against Rawat. This has been submitted before a special Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) court in Dehradun in which Harak Singh Rawat, his wife Deepti Rawat, and several others have been named in connection with alleged money-laundering linked to the illegal acquisition of two land plots in Dehradun. The accused named in the chargesheet include Deepti Rawat, Birendra Singh Kandari, Laxmi Singh Rana and the Smt Poorna Devi Memorial Trust.
Incidentally Rawat, faces other charges as well related to allegedly illegal tree felling in Corbett Tiger Reserve while he was the Forest Minister in Uttarakhand. He had had resigned from the BJP prior to the 2022 Assembly elections and rejoined the Congress. The ED’s case of money laundering originates from an FIR filed by the Uttarakhand Police, which alleges that Deepti Rawat and Laxmi Singh Rana had fraudulently registered land in their names as part of a conspiracy allegedly involving Kandari, Rawat, late Sushila Rani and others. The ED contended that, in violation of a court order, Sushila Rani had executed two powers of attorney in collusion with others for lands located in Sahaspur, which were then sold below the prevailing circle rates to Deepti Rawat and Rana through Kandari, a close associate of Rawat. The agency claimed that the acquired land now forms part of the Doon Institute of Medical Science, operated by the Smt Poorna Devi Memorial Trust, which it asserts is controlled by Rawat’s family and associates.
The ED disclosed that it had attached the two plots of land measuring 101 bighas under PMLA provisions in January. Though officially valued at Rs 6.56 crore, the current market worth of the property exceeds Rs 70 crore.
This land deal involving 107 bighas has been under scrutiny by two successive Uttarakhand governments. The initial investigation, ordered during the BJP tenure of Chief Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank, yielded no decisive outcome. The case resurfaced during the Congress administration led by Harish Rawat when Harak Singh Rawat switched allegiance to the BJP, but even then, no conclusive findings had emerged, probably because the case was never seriously pursued or taken to its logical conclusion.
Meanwhile, central agencies including the CBI and ED have approached Rawat regarding alleged irregularities in Corbett Tiger Reserve. Subsequent to this development, the ED expanded its scope to include the Sahaspur land matter and issued summons for Rawat’s appearance. The court is presently examining a related case concerning illegal tree felling and unauthorised construction activities in Corbett National Park.
