The Punjab and Haryana High Court has ordered the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to probe allegations of alleged corruption against people associated with the office of Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann. The decision was taken after three letters were sent by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) to the Punjab Director General of Police (DGP).
In its letter, the ED had alleged large-scale corruption in government transfers and appointments, permission to change land use and other government functions in Punjab. In this case, the names of Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann's Officer on Special Duty (OSD) Rajbir Singh Ghuman and some other people had also surfaced. Advocate Nikhil Saraf had filed a PIL in the Punjab and Haryana High Court, claiming that the Punjab Police had not taken appropriate action on these allegations.
ED had sent three letters to Punjab DGP demanding registration of a case against the concerned people and investigation. However, no action was taken on this, hence the petition demanded an independent investigation. During the ED investigation, it was said that money laundering related to a housing society and alleged irregularities in obtaining permission for change of land use came to light. It was also alleged that fake consent forms were used in the process. ED also claimed that a network of private people was working to influence government processes.
Apart from this, it has also been told that in the ED letters, allegations have also been made related to interference in government transfers and appointments, access to confidential government documents and other government facilities including arms licenses. ED has alleged that a person named Nitin Gohal is working as a middleman between people who benefit from government works and OSD in the Chief Minister's Office, Rajbir Singh Ghuman. The bench of Chief Justice Ashwini Kumar Mishra and Justice Rohit Kapoor ordered to hand over the case to CBI. The court has directed that CBI should register a case in this matter and after investigation, submit the investigation report within two months.
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