India’s Central Bureau of Investigation conducted searches Tuesday at Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann’s camp office and the Chandigarh residence of his Officer on Special Duty, Rajbir Singh Ghuman, as part of a corruption investigation ordered by the Punjab and Haryana High Court.
The searches came one day after the High Court directed the CBI to register a case and investigate allegations of corruption linked to the Punjab Chief Minister’s Office. The search at Ghuman’s residence reportedly began at about 6:15 p.m.
The CBI said it had registered an FIR against six people, including two public servants, alleged middlemen and associates. Those named include Ghuman, Nitin Gohal, Jitin Gohal, also known as Raja, and Romi Raja Mahajan.
Searches were carried out at eight locations across Punjab and Chandigarh, including premises in Chandigarh, Mohali, Gurdaspur, Ludhiana, Patiala, Sangrur and Jalandhar that authorities said were connected to the accused.
The investigation stems from allegations raised by the Enforcement Directorate concerning possible high-level corruption within the Punjab government. The allegations remain under investigation and have not resulted in findings of guilt.
The High Court ordered the CBI investigation while hearing a public interest litigation filed by advocate Nikhil Saraf. The court said the material placed before it indicated possible cognizable offences and directed the Punjab government and state police to cooperate with the federal agency.
The court also questioned why Ghuman, despite being among the key individuals identified in material provided by the ED, had not been included in the Punjab Police’s preliminary inquiry.
According to the ED’s allegations, Nitin Gohal acted as a middleman between individuals seeking government favours and Ghuman. The alleged favours included government transfers, access to confidential documents and assistance in obtaining arms licences.
Gohal had previously been searched by the ED as part of a money-laundering investigation involving alleged irregularities in Change of Land Use approvals and suspicious property transactions connected to companies operating under the Greater Mohali Area Development Authority.
The ED subsequently shared its findings with Punjab’s director general of police. After an FIR was not registered, Saraf approached the High Court seeking further action.
During Monday’s hearing, a bench comprising Chief Justice Ashwani Kumar Mishra and Justice Rohit Kapoor questioned the pace of the state police response. The court noted that only a preliminary inquiry had been conducted after the ED provided information on August 3 and concluded that the material warranted an FIR and a formal investigation.
Ghuman and his associates have previously denied the allegations and described them as baseless.
The Punjab government has challenged the High Court order before the Supreme Court.
Mann, meanwhile, accused the BJP-led federal government of politically motivated use of investigative agencies ahead of the Punjab elections. In a social media post following the searches, the chief minister alleged that the CBI and Enforcement Directorate were being used to damage his government and reputation.
The BJP has not been established to have directed the CBI action, which followed the Punjab and Haryana High Court’s order for an investigation.
