Harish Rawat sting case: Nainital HC to hear matter on Feb. 13

The Nainital High Court will hear the case of Uttarakhand Chief Minister Harish Rawat, who is currently embroiled in bribery sting CD case, on February 13.

Earlier on Wednesday, Rawat claimed that the sting CD was 'mala fide' and aimed at 'sullying' his reputation.

He said the CD, which formed the basis for imposing President's Rule in the state, lost its relevance with the reinstatement of his government.

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) had registered a preliminary inquiry on April 29 to probe the video purportedly showing Rawat offering bribes to rebel Congress MLAs in exchange for their support in the assembly floor test.

Rawat had dismissed the video as being fake after it was released by rebel Congress MLAs but later admitted that he was in the clip.

The CBI had earlier summoned the Chief Minister on May 9, 2016 but he had sought more time.

After Rawat's victory in the floor test, the state cabinet on May 15 withdrew the notification recommending a CBI probe and decided to set up a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to go into the case.