A day after the Supreme Court directed the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) not to take coercive action in the case registered against Rajbir Singh Ghuman, Officer on Special Duty (OSD) to Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, while refusing to stay the First Information Report (FIR) or halt the investigation, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) today registered a case against Ghuman in connection with allegations of corruption and influence-peddling involving persons linked to the Chief Minister’s Office.
The ED registered the case against Ghuman in Jalandhar after sending communications to Punjab Director General of Police Gaurav Yadav, flagging alleged irregularities in government transfers and postings, tender processes, administrative approvals, access to confidential government documents, and other official decisions. The allegations involve exchanging money or other benefits for facilitating government favours.
The CBI registered a case against Ghuman and five others, including Nitin Gohal, Jitin Gohal, Romi Raja Mahajan, Rajdeep Singh Nagra and Bir Devinder Singh, after the Punjab and Haryana High Court ordered a probe into allegations of corruption involving public officials. The case concerns alleged payments in exchange for postings, favourable policy decisions and tenders.
The CBI subsequently conducted searches at multiple locations, including the Punjab Chief Minister’s camp office in Chandigarh. The agency also summoned Ghuman three times to appear before it, but he allegedly failed to comply.
The Punjab Government challenged the Punjab and Haryana High Court’s order in the Supreme Court, questioning the direction for a CBI probe. On October 12, the Supreme Court issued notice to the CBI on the state government’s plea but declined to stay the FIR. It directed that no coercive steps be taken against Ghuman while the matter remained pending and also directed the state government to cooperate with the probe.
In an official statement, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) said the ED’s haste in registering a case against Ghuman was surprising, given that the Supreme Court had directed the CBI not to take coercive action until the next date of hearing on January 21, 2027.
