ED Raids Put Rawat Under Spotlight: Investigators seized Rs 32 lakh in unexplained cash, 200.5 grams of gold and 12 luxury watches from aide Chandan Singh Jeena’s residence in a money-laundering probe linked to the UKSSSC recruitment scam.
BY PC Bureau
September 12, 2026: Former Uttarakhand chief minister Harish Rawat has stepped down from two organisational posts in the Congress after the Enforcement Directorate recovered cash, gold and luxury watches from the residence of his long-time aide, saying he did not want the controversy to undermine the party’s anti-corruption campaign.
Rawat has resigned from the executive of the Uttarakhand Pradesh Congress Committee and relinquished his position as a permanent invitee to the Congress Working Committee. He does not currently hold any government office.
In a social media post, Rawat said he took the decision after seeking the guidance of his “Isht Devta” and did not want his personal association with the case to become a liability for the Congress. He made it clear, however, that he was giving up party positions and not quitting the Congress.
The ED searches were conducted at multiple locations in Dehradun as part of a money-laundering investigation linked to alleged irregularities in the 2016 Uttarakhand Subordinate Service Selection Commission (UKSSSC) Gram Panchayat Vikas Adhikari recruitment examination.
At the residence of Chandan Singh Jeena, described by Rawat as his long-time aide and who had earlier served as his OSD during his 2014–17 tenure as chief minister, investigators said they recovered Rs 32 lakh in unexplained cash, around 200.5 grams of gold and 12 luxury watches.
The agency has estimated the value of assets seized or frozen in the case at around Rs 1.28 crore.
The searches also covered premises linked to the then UKSSSC chairman and secretary, the examination controller, a private company involved in processing OMR answer sheets and alleged intermediaries suspected of having played a role in the recruitment irregularities.
Rawat defended Jeena, describing him as a “decent, humble and hardworking” person. At the same time, he said that if allegations that Jeena manipulated OMR sheets in the Gram Sevak recruitment examination were established, he would be ashamed, while making clear that he personally did not believe the allegations.
BIG NEWS – Uttarakhand Congress leader Harish Rawat quits party posts after cash, jewellery recovered from aide’s house. pic.twitter.com/ueb1aR2xeR
— News Arena India (@NewsArenaIndia) September 12, 2026
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Rawat also denied any involvement in recruitment irregularities and challenged investigators to produce evidence linking him to the alleged wrongdoing. He said anyone possessing evidence of his involvement should approach the CBI, ED or Uttarakhand Police.
He also apologised to the people of Uttarakhand if any lapse connected to the controversy had caused distress to young people seeking government jobs.
The former chief minister, however, questioned the timing of the ED action and suggested that the searches could be part of an attempt to shape a political narrative ahead of the Uttarakhand Assembly elections.
Recalling an earlier remark that the election season would begin when investigative agencies eventually knocked on his own door, Rawat said that this time the agencies had instead reached the home of someone associated with him.
His resignation from the two party posts appears intended to draw a political line between himself and the investigation while allowing the Congress to argue that it is applying its own anti-corruption standards to its leaders.
The ED investigation is continuing, and the recovery of cash, gold and watches does not by itself establish that Rawat or Jeena committed the alleged recruitment offences. The allegations and the provenance of the seized assets will have to be established through the ongoing investigation and any subsequent prosecution.
