Harish Rawat appears before ED in 2016 recruitment exam case

Former Uttarakhand chief minister and Congress leader Harish Rawat arrived at the Enforcement Directorate's Dehradun office on Saturday for questioning in a 2016 case linked to alleged irregularities in the Village Panchayat Development Officer recruitment exam conducted by the Uttarakhand Subordinate Services Selection Commission. Rawat wore a photograph of his mother around his neck as he entered the office.

Rawat said he received an ED notice two days earlier seeking documents including his income tax returns and details of his assets and those of his family members. He said he was unsure which members were covered under the definition of 'family' and that his daughters are married, making it difficult to gather old documents for every member.

The ED conducted searches on September 10 at several locations in Dehradun, including the residence of Rawat's personal assistant Chandan Singh Jeena. The agency said it recovered Rs 32 lakh in cash, 200.5 grams of gold, and 12 luxury watches from Jeena's house, with total assets seized and frozen estimated at Rs 1.28 crore. On September 12, Rawat announced he would step down from all party posts after the recovery.