Chandigarh:- The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has registered a case in Jalandhar against Rajbir Singh Ghuman, Officer on Special Duty (OSD) to Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann, in connection with allegations of corruption and misuse of influence by individuals linked to the Chief Minister’s Office.
The development comes a day after the Supreme Court directed the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) not to take any coercive action in the case registered by it. However, the court declined to stay the FIR or halt the investigation. It also directed the Punjab government to cooperate with the probe.
In an official statement, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) said the haste shown by the ED in registering a case against Ghuman was surprising, as the Supreme Court had asked the CBI not to take any coercive action until the next hearing scheduled for January 21, 2027.
The matter stems from communications sent by the ED to Punjab Director General of Police Gaurav Yadav, highlighting alleged irregularities in government transfers and postings, tender processes, administrative approvals, access to confidential government documents and other official decisions. The allegations concern the purported exchange of financial or other benefits in return for granting government favours.
After the Punjab Police failed to register an FIR on the basis of the ED’s communications, advocate Nikhil Saraf approached the Punjab and Haryana High Court seeking an independent investigation. On October 5, a division bench comprising Chief Justice Ashwani Kumar Mishra and Justice Rohit Kapoor directed the CBI to register a criminal case and investigate the allegations. The agency was also directed to submit a report within two months, while the state government and Punjab Police were asked to provide the necessary assistance.
Subsequently, the CBI registered an FIR against Ghuman and five others and conducted raids at several locations, including the Chief Minister’s camp office in Chandigarh. Although the CBI summoned Ghuman three times, he did not join the investigation. The Punjab government also challenged the High Court’s order directing a CBI probe before the Supreme Court.
