The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has booked six persons, including the Officer on Special Duty (OSD) to Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, in the alleged corruption case linked to the CM’s office, and conducted raids at eight locations across Punjab. The development came to light on Tuesday evening.
Raids at eight locations
CBI teams simultaneously searched the Chief Minister’s camp office in Chandigarh’s Sector-2, the Ghachon village residence of OSD Rajbir Singh Ghuman in Sangrur, and the Phase-11 Mohali home of his brother Gurkirpal Singh Thind. Searches were also reported from Jalandhar, Gurdaspur, Hisar and Patiala, among other places.
Background: the FIR order
The action follows Monday’s order by the Punjab and Haryana High Court, which directed the CBI to register an FIR and investigate after advocate Nikhil Saraf filed a public interest litigation. The court asked for a status report within two months. The case stems from three Enforcement Directorate letters to Punjab DGP Gaurav Yadav – dated July 24, July 30 and August 7 – seeking an FIR against Ghuman and his associates Nitin Gohal and Bir Devinder. The ED alleged money was taken for favours in officer transfers, government tenders, arms licences and access to confidential government documents.
Kejriwal and Mann condemn the raids
As news of the raids broke, AAP national convenor Arvind Kejriwal and Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann condemned the CBI action. Mann had earlier said that with the 2027 Assembly elections approaching, the ED and CBI were being misused to defame him and his government. Meanwhile, the Punjab government has challenged the High Court’s CBI-probe order in the Supreme Court, but Chief Justice Surya Kant refused a same-day hearing on Tuesday. The CBI investigation is ongoing, and all allegations remain to be proven.
