CHANDIGARH: Rajbir Singh Ghuman, Officer on Special Duty (OSD) to Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, appeared before the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Friday in connection with an alleged corruption case involving cash for transfers, favourable policies, tenders and other illegal activities.
The CBI registered the case following an October 5 order of the Punjab and Haryana High Court directing a probe into allegations raised by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in three letters to the Punjab DGP.
Rajbir Singh Ghuman, accompanied by his lawyer GPS Ghuman, reached the CBI office in Sector 30 here this afternoon. Earlier, the apex agency had issued him three notices asking him to appear before the investigating agency. Notices were also pasted on the gate of his house in his native village of Gharachon in Sangrur district.
Confirming that Rajbir had appeared before CBI officials, his advocate GPS Ghuman said that his client was complying with the directions of the Supreme Court by joining the investigation. He said that notices to Rajbir and other accused were now being sent through WhatsApp, which, he claimed, were not legally tenable.
“But we decided that all should join the investigation. Yesterday, over five people, including Chuspinder Chahal, an AAP leader from Mansa, joined the investigation and answered all queries of the investigating officers,” he said.
A 251-page FIR was registered by the Central Bureau of Investigation on a complaint by the Enforcement Directorate and refers to material shared by the ED with the Punjab Police chief. On October 12, the Supreme Court declined to stay the FIR but directed that no coercive action be taken against the accused at that stage while issuing notice on the Punjab Government’s plea challenging the Punjab and Haryana High Court order. The apex court also directed the state to cooperate with the investigation.
The CBI had registered the case under Section 120-B of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), Section 61(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and Sections 7, 7A, 8 and 12 of the Prevention of Corruption Act, following an October 5 order of the High Court directing a probe into allegations of corruption and influence-peddling involving government functionaries. The six named accused are Rajbir Singh Ghuman, Nitin Gohal, Jitin Gohal alias Raja, Romi Raja Mahajan, Bir Devinder and Rajdeep Singh Nagra, a rice sheller owner, besides unidentified public servants and private persons.
According to the FIR, the allegations concern the purported exchange of money for government postings, including those of IAS and IPS officers, departmental proceedings, policy formulation, administrative approvals, tender conditions, licensing, change of land use, property disputes and revenue-related matters.
The alleged activities are stated to relate to the 2023–2026 period.