Former Uttarakhand Chief Minister and senior Congress leader Harish Rawat has stepped down from two organisational positions in the Congress following an Enforcement Directorate search at the residence of his personal assistant and former officer on special duty, Chandan Singh Jeena.
Rawat announced his decision amid an ongoing money laundering investigation linked to alleged irregularities in a recruitment examination conducted by the Uttarakhand Subordinate Service Selection Commission in 2016. According to reports, the investigation relates to alleged manipulation of answer sheets in the examination.
Rawat has resigned as a member of the Uttarakhand Pradesh Congress Committee executive and as a permanent invitee to the Congress Working Committee at the national level. He said his decision was intended to prevent the controversy surrounding his close associate from affecting the Congress party's position and campaign against corruption.
The Enforcement Directorate conducted searches at multiple locations in Dehradun as part of its money laundering investigation. The agency's action included premises associated with former officials of the Uttarakhand Subordinate Service Selection Commission, a private computer agency involved in processing examination answer sheets and individuals allegedly linked to the case.
During the search at Jeena's residence, the Enforcement Directorate said it recovered Rs 32 lakh in unaccounted cash. The agency also reported the seizure of gold coins and chains weighing approximately 200.5 grams. According to the ED, the recovered gold included 13 gold coins and seven gold chains.
The agency also reported the seizure of 12 luxury watches. The watches were said to include brands such as Rolex, Rado, Piaget, Movado, Tissot and Casio Edifice. The ED also said bank accounts belonging to Jeena and members of his family, containing approximately Rs 52.16 lakh, were frozen as part of the investigation. A mobile phone was also seized for forensic examination.
The investigation stems from four First Information Reports registered by the Uttarakhand Police and the state Vigilance Bureau in connection with alleged irregularities in the 2016 Gram Panchayat Vikas Adhikari examination conducted by the Uttarakhand Subordinate Service Selection Commission.
The Enforcement Directorate has alleged that examination answer sheets were removed from secure custody and taken to the residence of a former commission official. According to the agency, roll numbers linked to incompletely filled answer sheets were allegedly recorded and passed to personnel associated with a private computer agency.
The agency has further alleged that answers on some of the sheets were subsequently filled in or altered before the documents were resealed. It has alleged that illegal payments were routed through intermediaries in connection with the suspected manipulation.
These are allegations forming part of an ongoing investigation and have not been established as facts through a final judicial determination.
Chandan Singh Jeena has a long association with Harish Rawat. He currently works as Rawat's personal assistant and had previously served as his officer on special duty when Rawat was the Chief Minister of Uttarakhand between 2014 and 2017. The association between the two has brought additional political attention to the ED investigation.
Following the searches, Rawat defended his aide and said he did not believe the allegations against Jeena. Rawat also indicated that if any wrongdoing was ultimately established, appropriate action should be taken. He has described the controversy as a matter that should not weaken the Congress party's broader position against corruption.
Rawat's decision to relinquish his Congress positions has therefore become a significant political development in Uttarakhand. The former chief minister remains a senior figure in the Congress and has held several important positions during his political career, including serving as Uttarakhand Chief Minister and as a Union minister in the previous central government.
The development comes at a time when the investigation into the alleged 2016 examination irregularities has renewed political attention on recruitment processes and alleged corruption in government examinations in Uttarakhand.
The Enforcement Directorate's investigation is continuing. The agency is examining financial transactions, seized materials and other evidence as part of its money laundering probe. The seizure of cash, gold and luxury watches from the premises linked to Jeena has become a key point of focus in the investigation.
For the Congress, Rawat's resignation from the two organisational positions is also politically significant. His stated intention is to ensure that the controversy surrounding his associate does not affect the party's anti corruption campaign.
The case is expected to remain under scrutiny as investigators examine the alleged examination irregularities, financial transactions and the sources of the assets recovered during the searches. Any further action will depend on the findings of the ongoing investigation and subsequent legal proceedings.