CHANDIGARH, Oct 7: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Tuesday searched Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann’s camp office in Chandigarh, a day after the Punjab and Haryana High Court ordered a probe into alleged corruption involving officials linked to the Chief Minister’s Office.
CBI teams also conducted searches at the residence of Mann’s Officer on Special Duty, Rajbir Singh Ghuman, in Gharachon village, as well as at the residence of one of Ghuman’s relatives in Mohali, according to reports.
The searches followed allegations raised by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in communications sent to Punjab Director General of Police Gaurav Yadav. The allegations reportedly involve Ghuman and other individuals.
Mann accused the BJP-led Central Government of misusing central investigative agencies to target his government ahead of the Punjab Assembly elections.
Taking to social media, Mann said the CBI search at his camp office was part of an attempt to politically target him and his government. He alleged that the ED and CBI could be “misused” in Punjab to damage his image.
The BJP did not immediately respond to Mann’s allegations.
The Punjab and Haryana High Court had on Monday directed the CBI to register a criminal case and conduct a fair and transparent investigation into allegations contained in three ED communications to the Punjab Police. The agency has been asked to submit its report within two months.
The case originated from a public interest litigation filed by advocate Nikhil Saraf after the Punjab Police allegedly failed to register an FIR based on the ED communications.
According to the allegations, Ghuman and certain private individuals were linked to a network involving alleged influence over transfers and postings, access to confidential government documents, arms licences, government approvals and other official decisions.
The allegations have not been proven in court, and the CBI investigation will determine whether any criminal offences were committed.
The High Court also criticised the Punjab Police’s handling of the information provided by the ED, observing that only a preliminary inquiry appeared to have been conducted and that Ghuman had not been called to participate in the probe.
Meanwhile, the Punjab Government approached the Supreme Court challenging the High Court’s order. Senior advocate Vikas Singh sought an urgent hearing, arguing that the matter raised concerns relating to the federal structure.
Chief Justice of India Surya Kant declined an immediate hearing but indicated that the matter could be taken up on Wednesday or Thursday.
The allegations remain unproven, and the High Court’s direction for a CBI investigation does not establish criminal liability against Ghuman or any other person named in the case.
