The Punjab and Haryana High Court on Monday directed the Central Bureau of Investigation to register a criminal case and investigate corruption allegations linked to the office of Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, ordering the agency to submit a status report within two months.
A bench comprising Chief Justice Ashwani Kumar Mishra and Justice Rohit Kapoor passed the order while hearing a public interest litigation filed by advocate Nikhil Saraf. The petitioner had approached the court after the Punjab Police allegedly failed to act on complaints raised by the Enforcement Directorate.
ED's letters at the heart of the case
According to reports, the Enforcement Directorate had written three letters to Punjab Director General of Police Gaurav Yadav seeking registration of an FIR against Rajbir Singh Ghuman, the Officer on Special Duty to Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, along with certain other individuals. The ED's communications alleged corruption in the transfer and posting of government officials, change of land use (CLU) permissions, arms licences, tenders and other official work in the state.
Media reports citing the ED's findings said the allegations pointed to a network allegedly influencing key government functions, and named an alleged intermediary — reported as Nitin Gohal in some reports and Nitin Goyal in others — along with another associate, Bir Devinder. The reports also referred to digital evidence, including WhatsApp chats and documents recovered during searches, though none of these claims have been tested in court.
Court pulls up state police
Advocate Dheeraj Jain, who appeared for the ED, told reporters that the court described the matter as serious and deserving of a proper investigation. He said the high court observed that the manner in which the Punjab Police had handled the matter was not satisfactory, and that the CBI would now probe the case.
The bench also directed the Punjab Police and the state government to hand over all documents pertaining to the case to the CBI. A detailed order is awaited.
The allegations remain unproven, and no finding of guilt has been recorded against anyone. No public response from the Punjab government or the Chief Minister's office had appeared in published reports at the time of writing. With the Punjab Assembly elections due in 2027, the order is widely seen as a political setback for the AAP government.
Sources:
Times of India: HC orders CBI probe into corruption allegations involving Punjab CM's office OSD
Deccan Herald: Punjab and Haryana High Court orders CBI probe into corruption allegations against AAP govt
LiveLaw: Punjab & Haryana High Court Directs CBI To Register Corruption Case Against Punjab CM's Close Aide
A bench comprising Chief Justice Ashwani Kumar Mishra and Justice Rohit Kapoor passed the order while hearing a public interest litigation filed by advocate Nikhil Saraf. The petitioner had approached the court after the Punjab Police allegedly failed to act on complaints raised by the Enforcement Directorate.
ED's letters at the heart of the case
According to reports, the Enforcement Directorate had written three letters to Punjab Director General of Police Gaurav Yadav seeking registration of an FIR against Rajbir Singh Ghuman, the Officer on Special Duty to Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, along with certain other individuals. The ED's communications alleged corruption in the transfer and posting of government officials, change of land use (CLU) permissions, arms licences, tenders and other official work in the state.
Media reports citing the ED's findings said the allegations pointed to a network allegedly influencing key government functions, and named an alleged intermediary — reported as Nitin Gohal in some reports and Nitin Goyal in others — along with another associate, Bir Devinder. The reports also referred to digital evidence, including WhatsApp chats and documents recovered during searches, though none of these claims have been tested in court.
Court pulls up state police
Advocate Dheeraj Jain, who appeared for the ED, told reporters that the court described the matter as serious and deserving of a proper investigation. He said the high court observed that the manner in which the Punjab Police had handled the matter was not satisfactory, and that the CBI would now probe the case.
The bench also directed the Punjab Police and the state government to hand over all documents pertaining to the case to the CBI. A detailed order is awaited.
The allegations remain unproven, and no finding of guilt has been recorded against anyone. No public response from the Punjab government or the Chief Minister's office had appeared in published reports at the time of writing. With the Punjab Assembly elections due in 2027, the order is widely seen as a political setback for the AAP government.
Sources:
Times of India: HC orders CBI probe into corruption allegations involving Punjab CM's office OSD
Deccan Herald: Punjab and Haryana High Court orders CBI probe into corruption allegations against AAP govt
LiveLaw: Punjab & Haryana High Court Directs CBI To Register Corruption Case Against Punjab CM's Close Aide
