By ARUN PRATAP SINGH
Garhwal Post Bureau
Dehradun, 1 Aug: In a significant legal development, Uttarakhand High Court has granted major relief to former cabinet minister Harak Singh Rawat by staying the chargesheet filed against him by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in the Sahaspur land case.
Rawat has consistently questioned the legality of the ED’s actions and had challenged the chargesheet by submitting a petition before the High Court, asserting that the agency’s proceedings were not in accordance with law. The stay is on interim basis, and it needs to be pointed out that the chargesheet has not been dismissed.
The Court, after considering the merits of the petition, has now issued a stay on the chargesheet, a move confirmed by Rawat’s legal counsel Himanshu Pal. Pal stated that the petition challenging the investigative procedure in the land case was recently heard, following which the stay has been granted by the Nainital bench. Rawat hailed the court’s decision as a triumph of truth, expressing his respect for the judiciary and confidence that justice would ultimately prevail. He described the court’s intervention as the first step towards vindication and reiterated his hope for a complete exoneration in due course of tIme.
Earlier, after an extensive investigation, the Enforcement Directorate had submitted a chargesheet naming five individuals including Dharm Singh Rawat in connection with alleged irregularities in the land transaction. Harak Singh Rawat had vocally opposed the move, emphasising his intent to seek justice through legal avenues. The stay order from the High Court has strengthened his resolve, and he has vowed to continue his legal battle with determination.
On 18 July, the ED had filed a formal complaint in a special court against Harak Singh Rawat, his spouse, and three others. In response, Rawat convened a press conference, alleging that the ED’s actions were politically driven and amounted to mental harassment. He claimed that the agency, acting under government pressure, had been relentlessly pursuing the case in a manner akin to reversing the natural order of day and night.
It may be recalled that the Enforcement Directorate (ED) has provisionally attached 101 bighas (about 62 acres) of prime land in Sahaspur, Dehradun, valued at over Rs 70 crores despite being registered at just around Rs 6.56 crores. The ED alleges massive undervaluation of the land price in the deal. The ED also claims a criminal conspiracy involving Harak Singh Rawat, his close associate Birendra Singh Kandari, the late Sushila Rani, and Narendra Kumar Walia. Together, they are alleged to have orchestrated the registration of two powers of attorney in Kandari’s name despite a court order cancelling the land sale.
Kandari subsequently sold the lands to Deepti Rawat (Harak Singh Rawat’s wife) and Laxmi Rana, at prices far below the government’s circle rates. The land acquired by Deepti Rawat is now the site of the Doon Institute of Medical Sciences, administered by the Shrimati Poorna Devi Memorial Trust, which the ED asserts is controlled by Rawat’s family and associates.
The ED land fraud is alleged to be part of a broader money laundering operation, and the ED has filed a prosecution complaint (chargesheet) against Harak Singh Rawat, his wife Deepti, Kandari, Laxmi Rana, and the Trust, under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA)
The Uttarakhand High Court had stayed the ED’s attachment order as of April 2025, citing procedural issues under Section 5(1)(b) of the PMLA.
