Harish Rawat has relinquished two senior positions in the Congress after an Enforcement Directorate investigation involving one of his closest aides revived scrutiny of a recruitment examination conducted while he was Uttarakhand chief minister.
Rawat stepped down from the executive of the Uttarakhand Pradesh Congress Committee and as a permanent invitee to the Congress Working Committee. He remains a member of the party.
His decision followed an ED search at the residence of Chandan Singh Jeena, who currently works as Rawat's personal assistant and served as his Officer on Special Duty when the Congress leader headed the Uttarakhand government.
The agency's investigation concerns alleged irregularities in the 2016 Gram Panchayat Vikas Adhikari recruitment examination conducted by the Uttarakhand Subordinate Service Selection Commission, or UKSSSC.
Rawat has defended Jeena and questioned the case against him. He nevertheless said he was giving up his party responsibilities because he did not want the controversy to interfere with the Congress's campaign against corruption.
ED Reports Cash, Gold and Watches From Search
The Enforcement Directorate conducted searches on September 10 under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act as part of its investigation into the recruitment case.
According to the agency, ₹32 lakh in what it described as unaccounted cash was seized from Jeena's residence.
Investigators also reported finding approximately 200.5 grams of gold, including 13 coins and seven chains, along with 12 luxury watches. The brands listed by the agency included Rolex, Rado, Piaget, Movado, Tissot and Casio Edifice.
Bank accounts belonging to Jeena and members of his family containing ₹52.16 lakh were frozen. His mobile phone was also seized for forensic examination.
Those details are the ED's account of its search and investigation. They do not constitute a finding of criminal guilt, and the allegations remain subject to the legal process.
Rawat Says Party Should Not Pay Political Price
Rawat's response was notable because he chose to relinquish organisational responsibilities even while disputing the allegations involving his aide.
He said he did not occupy a government position from which he could resign. Instead, he would step aside from his two Congress roles.
“I would like to respectfully step down from both these positions, because I do not want the party’s struggle to be weakened in any way because of me.”
The decision leaves Rawat within the Congress but removes him, for now, from the two organisational posts.
His explanation also reflects the political sensitivity of the case. Congress has sought to make corruption an issue in Uttarakhand politics, and Rawat said he did not want questions surrounding a longtime associate to complicate that campaign.
Rawat Stands by Jeena
Jeena's association with Rawat goes back to his tenure as chief minister between 2014 and 2017. He worked as Rawat's OSD during that period and later continued as his personal assistant.
Rawat described Jeena as a “very decent, humble and hardworking person” and said he found it difficult to accept the allegation that his aide had been involved in manipulating OMR sheets.
His defence, however, was not unconditional.
Rawat said that if evidence ultimately showed Jeena had committed such an act, he would be ashamed of the conduct.
That leaves two separate positions in Rawat's response: he does not currently accept the accusation against his aide, but he has also said wrongdoing should carry consequences if established through evidence.
What the 2016 UKSSSC Case Is About
The investigation reaches back roughly a decade.
The 2016 examination was conducted to recruit candidates for Gram Panchayat Vikas Adhikari posts through the UKSSSC.
Investigators are examining allegations involving Optical Mark Recognition, or OMR, answer sheets. The ED's case concerns claims that information from certain answer sheets was passed to private individuals and that responses were subsequently altered.
The investigation also covers financial transactions allegedly connected with the recruitment process.
Jeena is not the only person whose premises have come under scrutiny. Searches have also involved locations linked to the then UKSSSC chairman and secretary, a former examination controller, the owner of the private computer agency involved in processing the OMR sheets and alleged intermediaries.
These remain investigative allegations. Establishing whether individual accused persons participated in any offence is a matter for the investigative and judicial process.
Rawat Points to Recruitment During His Tenure
Because the examination took place under his government, Rawat has also addressed the broader record of public recruitment during his time as chief minister.
He said more than 42,000 government posts were filled during his roughly three-year tenure and argued that his administration worked to strengthen recruitment mechanisms and push institutions to complete hiring on schedule.
At the same time, he did not attempt to distance himself entirely from decisions taken under his government.
Rawat said that if an error of judgment on his part had harmed the employment prospects of Uttarakhand's young people, he owed them an apology. He also said he should face punishment if evidence established wrongdoing by him.
The former chief minister challenged anyone with evidence connecting him personally to recruitment irregularities to provide it to the CBI, ED or state police.
Political Motive Claim Adds Another Layer
Rawat has also questioned why the case has resurfaced at this point in Uttarakhand's political cycle.
He alleged that action against his associate was being used to create a political narrative ahead of the state's next Assembly election.
That is Rawat's claim. The reports on the investigation do not establish that the ED's action was politically directed.
The distinction is important because the dispute now has two tracks.
One is legal and investigative: what happened during the 2016 recruitment process, whether OMR sheets were manipulated and whether money changed hands.
The other is political: whether the investigation will affect Rawat and the Congress as Uttarakhand moves closer to another electoral contest.
Those questions should not be treated as interchangeable.
Why Rawat’s Decision Matters
Rawat remains one of the Congress's most prominent leaders in Uttarakhand. An investigation touching someone who worked closely with him during his tenure as chief minister therefore carries consequences beyond Jeena's individual case.
By stepping down from his organisational positions, Rawat has attempted to prevent the investigation from becoming an immediate conflict between his personal defence and the party's political messaging.
It does not settle any of the allegations.
The ED says it recovered cash, gold and other valuables and is investigating possible money laundering connected with recruitment irregularities. Rawat disputes the allegation against his aide and has raised questions about political motivation. No judicial finding establishing guilt has been cited in the reports on the latest action.
What investigators establish from the financial records, seized material and other evidence will determine whether a controversy rooted in a 2016 recruitment examination develops into a broader legal case.
For Rawat, the political consequences have already begun.
