CBI raids homes of CM Manns OSD Rajbir Ghuman in Sangrur and his brother in Mohali; team also at CM office
CBI has reportedly raided the Mohali Phase 11 home of Gurkirpal Singh Thind, brother of CM Mann OSD Rajbir Ghuman. More details are awaited
PTC Web Desk: The CBI has carried out raids at two homes linked to Rajbir Singh Ghuman, Officer on Special Duty (OSD) to Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann. One team reached the Phase 11, Mohali house of his brother, Gurkirpal Singh Thind. Another team is searching Ghuman's own residence in Gharachon, Sangrur. As per information, a third CBI team is also present at the Chief Minister's office in Sector 2, Chandigarh.
Sources said, the raids are also underway at Jalandhar, Gurdaspur, Hisar and Patiala.
The search is linked to allegations that people close to the OSD interfered in transfers, postings and other government work. The CBI has not yet said officially what it was looking for or whether anything was taken from the house.
The raid comes just days after the Punjab and Haryana High Court, on October 5, ordered the CBI to register a case and investigate the allegations. The court asked the agency to submit its report within two months. It also told the Punjab Government and state police to cooperate fully so that the probe stays fair and independent.
The Punjab government has challenged that order in the Supreme Court. Its Special Leave Petition was filed at about 1.42 am on Tuesday, only hours after the High Court's order.
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The matter was mentioned before a Bench led by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant. Senior advocate Vikas Singh, appearing for the state, asked for an early hearing. He argued that these allegations were surfacing just before the Assembly elections, and that the High Court's order interfered with the federal structure. The CJI said the case would be heard on Wednesday or Thursday.
How the case began
The case started with information shared by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) with the Punjab Police. The ED alleged that a man named Nitin Gohal acted as a middleman between people wanting government favours and OSD Ghuman. The alleged favours included transfers, access to confidential government documents and help in getting arms licences.
When no FIR was registered, advocate Nikhil Saraf filed a public interest litigation in the High Court.
The Bench of Chief Justice Ashwani Kumar Mishra and Justice Rohit Kapoor said the ED's material, at first look, pointed to serious offences involving a high public office. It also questioned how slowly the police had acted. Only a preliminary inquiry was held after the ED shared its information on August 3. The police also cited the need for legible copies of the ED's documents as a reason for the delay. The court noted that Ghuman himself had not been called to take part in the inquiry.
The court concluded that the material called for an FIR and a proper investigation, not a continued preliminary inquiry.
Ghuman and his associates have earlier denied the allegations, calling them baseless.
Further details of the Phase 11 CBI raid are awaited.