Punjab challenges CBI probe order in Supreme Court over alleged corruption claims against CM’s OSD Rajbir Singh Ghuman
PTC Web Desk: The Punjab Government has approached the Supreme Court against the Punjab and Haryana High Court's order directing a CBI investigation into allegations of corruption involving Rajbir Singh Ghuman, an Officer on Special Duty (OSD) to Chief Minister Mann.
The state filed a Special Leave Petition (SLP) challenging the High Court's October 5 order, which had asked the CBI to register a case and submit its investigation report within two months.
The matter was mentioned before a Bench headed by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant on Tuesday. Senior advocate Vikas Singh, appearing for the Punjab Government, sought an early hearing, arguing that the case had come up at a politically sensitive time ahead of the Assembly elections.
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He told the court that allegations of this nature were being raised during the election period and argued that the High Court's intervention amounted to interference with the federal structure. The CJI said the matter would be taken up either on Wednesday or Thursday.
The SLP was filed at around 1.42 am on Tuesday, shortly after the High Court's order.
What did the High Court order?
A Bench comprising Chief Justice Ashwani Kumar Mishra and Justice Rohit Kapoor had directed the CBI to register a criminal case over allegations concerning Rajbir Singh Ghuman, an Officer on Special Duty (OSD) to Chief Minister Mann.
The court also directed the Punjab Government and the state police to extend full cooperation to the CBI to ensure an independent and fair investigation.
The case stems from information shared by the Enforcement Directorate with the Punjab Police regarding alleged corruption involving Ghuman.
According to the allegations cited by the ED, a person named Nitin Gohal allegedly acted as a middleman between individuals seeking government-related favours and Ghuman.
The alleged dealings reportedly involved matters such as transfers, access to confidential government documents, assistance in obtaining arms licences and other government-related benefits.
Why was the PIL filed?
The ED had earlier asked the Punjab Police to register a case and investigate the allegations. However, after an FIR was not registered, advocate Nikhil Saraf approached the High Court through a public interest litigation, alleging inaction by the state authorities.
The High Court observed that the material supplied by the ED appeared, at the preliminary stage, to disclose cognizable offences involving a high public office and that the allegations raised issues of public interest.
The court also questioned the pace of the police response, noting that only a preliminary inquiry had apparently been carried out after the ED shared the information on August 3.
The High Court said the police had cited the need for legible copies of documents supplied by the ED as one of the reasons for the delay.
It further noted that although notices had been issued to several individuals, Ghuman himself had not been called to participate in the inquiry.
The court concluded that the material provided by the ED warranted registration of an FIR and a proper investigation rather than continued preliminary proceedings.
Punjab seeks relief from Supreme Court
With the state government now challenging the High Court's direction, the issue is set to come before the Supreme Court for consideration.
The Punjab Government has argued that the timing of the proceedings is significant given the upcoming Assembly elections, while the High Court had stressed the need for a formal investigation into allegations involving a high public office.
The Supreme Court's decision on the state's plea will determine whether the CBI probe ordered by the High Court proceeds as directed.
- PTC NEWS
