The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has filed a chargesheet against former Uttarakhand minister and Congress leader Harak Singh Rawat, his wife Deepti Rawat, associate Birendra Singh Kandari, Laxmi Singh Rana, and the Smt. Poorna Devi Memorial Trust in a money laundering case tied to the fraudulent acquisition of two land parcels in Dehradun, valued at over ₹70 crore. The prosecution complaint was lodged before a Special Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) Court in Dehradun on Friday.

The case stems from a First Information Report (FIR) filed at Sahaspur Police Station, Dehradun, under various Indian Penal Code sections. The ED alleges that Rawat and Kandari orchestrated a conspiracy to register 101 bighas of land in Sahaspur, worth ₹6.56 crore at government rates but over ₹70 crore in current market value, in the names of Deepti Rawat and Laxmi Rana. Despite court orders prohibiting such transactions, the late Sushila Rani, in collusion with others, registered power of attorney documents, which Kandari used to sell the plots at significantly undervalued prices.

These lands now form part of the Doon Institute of Medical Sciences, operated by the Smt. Poorna Devi Memorial Trust, chaired by Deepti Rawat and allegedly controlled by Rawat’s family. In January 2025, the ED provisionally attached the land under PMLA, a move preceded by raids in February 2024 that uncovered ₹1.2 crore in cash, 1.3 kg of gold, and incriminating documents.

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Rawat, 64, a former forest minister who switched from BJP to Congress before the 2022 Uttarakhand elections, also faces scrutiny for alleged illegal activities in the Corbett Tiger Reserve. The Congress has questioned the timing of the ED’s actions, with state vice-president Suryakant Dhasmana calling it an attempt to “intimidate the opposition” ahead of polls. The investigation continues, with potential political ramifications in Uttarakhand.

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