Chandigarh, October 6: The Punjab Government has approached the Supreme Court challenging the Punjab and Haryana High Court’s order directing the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to register a case and investigate corruption allegations linked to the office of Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann.
The High Court had on Monday ordered the CBI to probe allegations arising from material shared by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) with the Punjab Police and submit a report within two months.
The allegations, which have not been established by any court, include claims of corruption in transfers and postings, influence over government policies and tenders, access to confidential documents and facilitation of arms licences.
The Punjab Government has now filed a petition before the Supreme Court seeking relief against the High Court’s directions.
State Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema had announced after the High Court order that the state government would challenge the decision in the apex court.
The High Court’s order followed a public interest litigation filed by advocate Nikhil Saraf, who alleged that the Punjab Police had failed to take appropriate action despite communications from the ED seeking an investigation.
A division bench comprising Chief Justice Ashwani Kumar Mishra and Justice Rohit Kapoor examined the manner in which the ED material was handled by the state police and questioned the delay in proceeding with the inquiry.
The court observed that the state police inquiry had resulted in a “journey with all travel and no reaching”.
Allegations Involving CM’s OSD
The High Court also noted that Rajbir Singh Ghuman, Officer on Special Duty to Chief Minister Mann and one of the persons referred to in the ED material, had not been associated with the preliminary inquiry or asked to provide his response.
According to allegations cited during the court proceedings, private individual Nitin Gohal allegedly acted as an intermediary between people seeking government favours and Ghuman. The alleged favours included transfers, postings and other official benefits.
The High Court directed the Punjab Government and Punjab Police to cooperate fully with the CBI and provide assistance for a fair investigation.
The state’s appeal before the Supreme Court has now opened a fresh legal chapter in the matter. As of Tuesday morning, there was no reported Supreme Court order staying the High Court’s direction for the CBI probe.
