Big action by ED in Uttarakhand, former minister Harak Singh’s land worth Rs 70 crore attached

Dehradun. The ED (Enforcement Directorate) recently took a big action against former Forest Minister of Uttarakhand and Congress leader Harak Singh Rawat and attached his 101 bigha land worth Rs 70 crore located in Dehradun.

Giving information about this, the central agency said in a statement that Rawat along with some others had conspired to grab this land located in Sahaspur, Dehradun, after which the ED temporarily attached these two plots of 101 bighas after an order was issued under PMLA (Prevention of Money Laundering Act) on January 20.

The ED said that the registered price of the attached land is only Rs 6.56 crore, but its current market value is more than Rs 70 crore. 64-year-old Rawat is a former forest minister of the state. He left the BJP and joined the Congress before the 2022 Uttarakhand assembly elections. His reaction could not be obtained regarding the ED action.

The money laundering case has come to light from the FIR registered by the Uttarakhand Police against Rawat’s close aide Birendra Singh Kandhari and some others. The ED claimed that despite the clear order of the court to cancel the sale of lands, the late Sushila Rani, in conspiracy with other persons, registered two powers of attorney (POA) in the name of Kandhari and Narendra Kumar Walia (for these lands).

The money laundering case has come to light from the FIR registered by the Uttarakhand Police against Rawat’s close aide Birendra Singh Kandhari and some others. The ED claimed that despite the court’s clear order to cancel the sale of the lands, late Sushila Rani in conspiracy with other persons had registered two powers of attorney (POA) in the name of Kandhari and Narendra Kumar Walia (for these lands).

The agency said Kandhari sold these lands to Rawat’s wife Deepti Rawat and Laxmi Rana for a nominal amount, which was much lower than the circle rates fixed by the government revenue authority. The land purchased by Deepti Rawat is now part of the Doon Institute of Medical Science (DIMS), which is operated under the Smt. Poorna Devi Memorial Trust.

Deepti Rawat is the chairperson of this trust. The trust is controlled by the family and friends of Harak Singh Rawat, the ED alleged. It said, “Deepti Rawat and Laxmi Rana managed to get the said land registered in their names as part of a conspiracy hatched by Birendra Singh Kandhari, Harak Singh Rawat, late Sushila Rani and other persons.”