An inquiry has found a cook attached to a protective home guilty of having offered Jenny, an unwed mother, money to withdraw rape charges against former revenue minister Harak Singh Rawat, official sources said.

Saroj, the cook, was transferred to a government rest house in Dehradun after an official inquiry found that she had offered Rs 12 lakh to Jenny to withdraw the rape charge against Rawat.

An inquiry by District Probationary Officer Sayed Rahat Ali found that Saroj met Jenny on Aug 16 with the cash and an unsigned affidavit.

When Meenakshi Pokhriyal, an assistant superintendent at the protective home, snatched the affidavit paper from Saroj's hands  and began reading it, she snatched it back and flushed it down a toilet.

Rawat has denied he offered any money to Jenny. "It is malicious propaganda to tarnish my image," he said.

The government , has decided to refer the inquiry report to the Central Bureau of Investigation, District Magistrate (Dehradun) Radha Raturi said.

The CBI, which is conducting an inquiry into the scandal, has registered a case against the former minister for "establishing physical relations" with Jenny against her wishes.