Ex Uttarakhand CM- Trivendra Singh Rawat calls for judicial inquiry in alleged Kumbh Mela fake Covid test scam

Recently ousted Uttrarkhand Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat on Saaturday stated that “people may have an apprehension” over the inquiry into the issue of fake Covid tests during the Kumbh Mela which occurred during his tenure.

This follows after current Chief Minister Tirath Singh Rawat has ordered an investigation into the matter.

Lav Agarwal, Joint Secretary of the Ministry of Health, indicated on June 15th that a full report on false Covid tests conducted during the Kumbh Mela is expected within a few days.

Trivendra Singh Rawat has said that people frequently question the openness of state authorities in their investigations. SITs have done wonderful work in the past, but this issue has recently gained prominence after it was shown that it dates back to the previous administration.

The former Chief Minister said, "CM Tirath Singh Rawat has formed a Special Investigative Team (SIT), but a judicial inquiry is necessary for this matter because it is an interstate matter. People can doubt whether the inquiry will be accurate or not."

He said, “So I say that people may have an apprehension that the inquiry can be influenced.”

People may have questions about the probe's openness, according to Trivendra, because it will be conducted by senior officials. “Hence I said that a judicial probe will end all such apprehensions because people trust the judiciary more.”

Trivendra Singh Rawat stated that once the inquiry begins, everything would be transparent. He went on to say that the RT-PCR testing fraud is not just a commercial one, but also a criminal and a form of corruption. According to him, issuing false-negative certificates during the present pandemic is a criminal offence.