New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday refused to stay the CBI probe into allegations of corruption leveled against Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann’s Officer on Special Duty (OSD) Rajveer Ghuman and others but asked the investigating agency not to take any coercive action for now.
A bench of Justices M.M. Sundresh and Prasanna B. Varale issued notice on the Punjab government’s petition challenging the Punjab and Haryana High Court order directing the CBI to register a case and investigate.
The Supreme Court refused to stay the FIR, stating that the state government should cooperate in the investigation.
Punjab government challenges the High Court’s October 5 order
The Punjab government had approached the Supreme Court challenging the High Court’s October 5 order. The High Court had directed the CBI to investigate allegations of corruption arising from three letters written by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) to Punjab Director General of Police (DGP) Gaurav Yadav.
The High Court directed the CBI to register a case and submit a status report within two months. The Punjab government and police were also directed to fully cooperate with the central investigating agency.
OSD and associates accused of interfering in transfers, postings, and tenders
The ED had alleged that Rajveer Ghuman and his associates, Nitin Gohal and Bir Devinder, were interfering in matters related to administrative transfers, appointments, and government tenders. Based on these allegations, the ED had sought the registration of an FIR.
After the Punjab Police failed to register an FIR despite ED letters, advocate Nikhil Saraf filed a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) in the Punjab and Haryana High Court. The petition sought an independent CBI investigation into the matter.
The petition stated that the ED letters contained serious allegations against individuals associated with the Punjab Chief Minister’s Office. It also demanded an impartial investigation, free from the influence of the Punjab Police and Punjab Vigilance.
CBI Raids 8 Locations in Chandigarh and Punjab
Following the High Court’s direction, the CBI has already registered an FIR in this case and initiated an investigation. The central agency also conducted searches at eight locations in Chandigarh and Punjab. These included the Chief Minister’s camp office in Chandigarh and premises associated with Rajveer Ghuman in Sangrur and Mohali.
In connection with the investigation, the CBI has also issued summons to Ghuman and his other associates to appear at its office in Chandigarh.
The case was initially scheduled to be heard before a bench comprising Justices Dipankar Datta and Sheel Nagu. On October 9, Justice Sheel Nagu recused himself from hearing the Punjab government’s petition. Following this, the matter was referred to Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant for the formation of a new bench.