Harak Singh Rawat challenges Mahendra Bhatt to DNA test over 23-year-old Jenny case

Former Uttarakhand cabinet minister Harak Singh Rawat has challenged BJP state president Mahendra Bhatt to undergo a DNA test over the 23-year-old Jenny case. Rawat’s remarks came after Bhatt again demanded that the identity of Jenny’s child’s father be made public.

Rawat said his DNA test had already been conducted and that the CBI investigation had made the position clear. He questioned why Bhatt was repeatedly raising the matter and challenged him to pursue legal action if he believed Rawat should be jailed.

Rawat also made an unsubstantiated counter-question about whether Bhatt could be the child’s father. That claim was not supported by any evidence in the available material.

What Mahendra Bhatt said

Bhatt had argued that the identity of the child’s father should be disclosed, even though available reports said the child’s DNA did not match Rawat’s sample. He pointed to the fact that Jenny had lived at Rawat’s residence and said the question of the child’s parentage therefore remained relevant.

Bhatt said the BJP was not making an accusation against anyone but wanted the facts to emerge. Congress state president Ganesh Godiyal responded by advising Rawat to consider filing a defamation case against Bhatt.

How the Jenny case began

The controversy began in 2003, when Jenny, an unmarried woman from Assam, gave birth at a government hospital in Dehradun on 15 June 2003. She identified Rawat as the child’s father and levelled serious allegations against him.

The issue triggered a political storm in Uttarakhand. The Opposition raised it in the Assembly on 18 June 2003. Rawat, who was then revenue minister while N.D. Tiwari was chief minister, resigned from the ministerial amid the political pressure.

Rawat had said in the Assembly that he would not enter the House until he was proved innocent. Tiwari’s government later recommended a CBI investigation. The agency began a preliminary inquiry on 12 July 2003 and registered a case against Rawat on 25 July.

The CBI subsequently arranged DNA testing. According to the reports cited in the material, the child’s DNA did not match Rawat’s sample, and Rawat received a clean chit. Rawat has repeatedly referred to that investigation while rejecting the allegations.

The controversy returns

The matter resurfaced about 13 years later, in 2016. Jenny then alleged that former chief minister Harish Rawat and his associates had encouraged her to complain against Harak Singh Rawat.

Kamla Singh Rawat, who was serving as the former chief minister’s private secretary, later filed a case against Jenny at Dehradun Kotwali. Police searched for her, but her mobile phone was switched off and the address given in Delhi was found to be incorrect.

The issue returned to political debate during October 2026, when Congress held a justice march over the Ankita Bhandari murder case and the BJP criticised the Opposition’s campaign. Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami accused Congress of raising controversial issues in an effort to recover political ground and asked which government was in power during the Tandoor case and the Jenny case.

Rawat objected to Dhami’s remarks and said he had been targeted in a conspiracy in 2003. He also pointed out that the Atal Bihari Vajpayee-led BJP government was in power at the Centre at that time. Rawat said he had resigned to allow an impartial investigation and had faced the CBI inquiry.

On 27 October, Rawat became emotional while discussing the matter and denied having touched Jenny. He again cited the CBI findings and alleged that some BJP leaders had tried to implicate him. Those allegations remain claims made by Rawat.

Bhatt renewed the issue on 1 November, saying that Jenny had given birth but that the father’s identity had still not been made public. Rawat’s latest response has now shifted the political dispute towards a direct demand for a DNA test of Bhatt.

Conclusion

The current dispute centres on renewed political demands for disclosure of the child’s paternity, while Rawat relies on the reported CBI DNA findings that did not match his sample. No new DNA test or official finding involving Bhatt is recorded in the available material.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q. What is the Jenny case?

The case began in 2003 after Jenny, an unmarried woman from Assam, gave birth in Dehradun and identified Harak Singh Rawat as the child’s father.

Q. What did the DNA test involving Harak Singh Rawat show?

According to the available reports, the child’s DNA did not match Rawat’s sample. The reports said he received a clean chit.

Q. Why has the issue returned to political debate?

BJP leaders renewed questions about the case during political exchanges involving the Ankita Bhandari murder case and Congress’s justice march.

Q. What did Mahendra Bhatt demand?

Bhatt demanded that the identity of Jenny’s child’s father be made public and said the facts should be established.

Q. What has Harak Singh Rawat demanded from Bhatt?

Rawat has challenged Bhatt to undergo a DNA test after Bhatt repeatedly raised questions about the child’s paternity.

Q. When did the CBI begin investigating the case?

The CBI began a preliminary inquiry on 12 July 2003 and registered a case against Rawat on 25 July 2003.