CBI summons CM Bhagwant Manns OSD Rajbir Singh Ghuman a day after raids over corruption allegations
CBI has asked CM Bhagwant Mann's OSD Rajbir Singh Ghuman to appear in Chandigarh after raids at 8 places. Punjab has gone to the Supreme Court
PTC Web Desk: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has asked Rajbir Singh Ghuman, Officer on Special Duty (OSD) to Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, to come to its Sector 30 office in Chandigarh at 2.30 pm on Wednesday. The agency wants to question him in a case linked to alleged corruption and influence-peddling.
The notice comes just one day after the CBI filed an FIR against Rajbir Ghuman and five other persons. On Tuesday, its teams also searched the Chief Minister's Camp Office and seven other places.
Who else is named in the FIR
Besides Rajbir Ghuman, the FIR names Nitin Gohal, Jitin Gohal (also known as Raja), Romi Raja Mahajan, Bir Devinder and RS Nagra. CBI teams searched the homes of all six, as well as the homes of some of Ghuman's relatives.
Raids lasted over five hours
The searches covered eight locations across Punjab and Chandigarh. These included the CM's Camp Office in Sector 2, Ghuman's house in Gharachon village, and a relative's home in Phase 11, Mohali. Teams also visited places in Sangrur, Patiala, Ludhiana, Jalandhar and Gurdaspur.
The action began at around 5.30 pm and went on until nearly 11 pm. The CBI says it took away laptops, mobile phones and documents. These items are now being checked for evidence of bribery and other wrongdoing.
How the case began
The CBI acted after the Punjab and Haryana High Court, on October 5, told it to register a case and investigate the allegations. The information had first been shared by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) with the Punjab Police.
Punjab asks Supreme Court for urgent hearing
The state government is not accepting the High Court's order quietly. It filed a Special Leave Petition (SLP) in the Supreme Court at about 1.42 am on Tuesday. When the matter was mentioned before a Bench led by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, the Bench said it would take it up on Wednesday or Thursday.
A senior state government functionary told The Tribune that Punjab will mention the case again on Wednesday and press for an early hearing.
All eyes are now on two things: whether Ghuman appears before the CBI, and what the Supreme Court decides on the state's plea.
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