The case dates back to 2003, when the woman, then around 16 and living at Nari Niketan, gave birth at the women’s hospital at Doon Hospital in Dehradun on June 9. She had alleged that Rawat, who was then a minister, was the child’s father. Rawat denied the allegation, resigned from the Cabinet and sought a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe.
The state was then governed by the N D Tiwari-led Congress government. Following a recommendation by the state government, the CBI investigated the case and conducted DNA tests.
According to the records cited in the case, the child’s DNA did not match Rawat’s. The agency found no evidence to substantiate the allegation and filed a closure report. The court also found no guilt on Rawat’s part.
The issue returned to the headlines after Jenny held a press conference at the Dehradun Press Club on November 7. She reiterated her allegation that Rawat was her child’s father and called for a fresh investigation and another DNA test. Her claims have not been independently established.
A document now circulating online has added another dimension to the dispute. It is reportedly an affidavit submitted by Jenny to the Dehradun Municipal Corporation in 2011, when she sought the child’s birth certificate. The certificate was issued on August 9 that year. In the affidavit, she is said to have named her husband as Rajkumar Tiwari and included his name alongside the child’s details.
The document has raised questions about the earlier case and the latest allegations. However, the circumstances in which the affidavit was made and its relevance to the claims now being raised remain unclear.
Rawat has alleged that the BJP is reviving the old case to divert attention from the “VIP” angle in the Ankita Bhandari murder case. He has dismissed the allegations as false. The BJP’s response was not available at the time of filing this report.
The controversy has intensified as competing claims, records of the earlier investigation and the newly circulated document fuel political debate. While Jenny is seeking a renewed probe, Rawat has cited the CBI findings and DNA test from the original investigation. So far, no fresh investigation has been announced.