CBI Registers FIR Against Punjab CM's OSD, Searches Mann's Camp Officeਪੰਜਾਬ ਦੇ ਮੁੱਖ ਮੰਤਰੀ ਦੇ ਓਐਸਡੀ ਖ਼ਿਲਾਫ਼ ਸੀਬੀਆਈ ਦੀ ਐਫਆਈਆਰ, ਮਾਨ ਦੇ ਕੈਂਪ ਦਫ਼ਤਰ ਦੀ ਤਲਾਸ਼ੀ

The Central Bureau of Investigation on Tuesday registered a corruption case against Rajbir Singh Guman, an officer on special duty (OSD) to Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, and five others, and carried out searches at eight locations including the chief minister's camp office in Chandigarh, officials said.

The CBI said in a statement that it had registered the FIR following orders of the Punjab and Haryana High Court and after receiving a report from the Enforcement Directorate (ED). The agency has booked six people, including two public servants: Guman; alleged middleman Nitin Gohal; Jitin Gohal alias Raja; Romi Raja Mahajan; Bir Devinder; and R.S. Nagra. Unknown public servants and private persons have also been named.

What the agency alleges

According to the CBI, the accused allegedly influenced and manipulated postings of government officers, including IAS and IPS officers, besides departmental proceedings, policy formulation, administrative approvals, tender conditions, licensing matters, land-use conversion, property disputes and revenue and land-related issues, in exchange for alleged pecuniary benefits.

"It is also alleged that the accused public servants purportedly accessed and provided drafts of orders and policies to private persons prior to their issuance by the government," the CBI statement said.

Searches at eight locations

The searches covered House No. 50 in Chandigarh — the camp office allotted to Mann under the chief minister's pool, where Guman had been staying — as well as Guman's residence in Gharachon village in Sangrur district and premises in Mohali, Gurdaspur, Ludhiana, Patiala and Jalandhar linked to the accused.

The agency said it seized "incriminating evidence" including laptops, mobile phones and documents, which are being scrutinised for evidence of bribery and impropriety. Further investigation is in progress, it said.

The ED letters at the heart of the case

The case traces back to three letters written by the ED to Punjab Director General of Police Gaurav Yadav, alleging that Guman and his associates were interfering in administrative transfers and postings as well as government tenders, and seeking registration of an FIR. After the Punjab Police did not register a case, advocate Nikhil Saraf filed a public interest litigation before the Punjab and Haryana High Court seeking a CBI probe.

On Monday, the high court ordered that the matter be handed over to the CBI, holding that the ED material prima facie indicated acts of corruption, including cash for transfers and cash for favourable orders. It directed the CBI to register a case and submit a status report within two months.

The ED's letters stem from a money-laundering investigation linked to alleged fake consent letters used to obtain change of land use (CLU) in a housing society case. The ED had searched the premises of Nitin Gohal, Ajay Sehgal of the Indian Cooperative House Building Society and the Suntec City project in May, and filed a 200-page affidavit in the high court.

Mann hits back; Supreme Court hearing ahead

The raids came hours after the Supreme Court agreed to hear a Punjab government plea challenging the high court's CBI order. The state filed a special leave petition at around 2 am on Tuesday.

Reacting on X, Mann said the BJP had begun preparing for the Punjab elections and was resorting to central agencies to target him and his government. "CBI raided my camp office. Now, ED and CBI will be misused in Punjab, so that the Punjab government and I can be defamed. Seeing the love we are getting from the people, BJP is nervous," he wrote.

In a related development, the ED has summoned the chief minister's brother-in-law in the graft case, The Indian Express reported. The BJP has rejected the misuse charge, maintaining that investigative agencies act independently.

Who has the CBI named in its FIR?

The FIR names Rajbir Singh Guman, OSD to Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, along with Nitin Gohal, Jitin Gohal alias Raja, Romi Raja Mahajan, Bir Devinder and R.S. Nagra, besides unknown public servants and private persons.

Why did the CBI register the case now?

The CBI acted on a Punjab and Haryana High Court order of October 5, which directed it to take over the probe into allegations raised by the ED in three letters to the Punjab DGP.

What has Bhagwant Mann said?

Mann accused the BJP of misusing the ED and CBI to defame him and his government ahead of the Punjab elections, saying the party was "nervous" at the love the AAP government was getting from the people.

What happens next?

The CBI has to submit a status report to the high court within two months, while the Supreme Court is set to hear the Punjab government's plea challenging the CBI probe order.