Chandigarh: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has registered a corruption case against Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann’s Officer on Special Duty (OSD) Rajbir Singh Ghumman and others at its Economic Offences-II police station in New Delhi, even though the allegations relate largely to activities in Punjab.
The FIR, registered as RC 2202026 E 0013, followed the Punjab and Haryana high court’s October 5 order directing the CBI to take over the investigation into allegations raised by the Enforcement Directorate (ED). The High Court had ordered the central agency to investigate after material shared by the ED was found to prima facie disclose cognisable offences.
According to the FIR details cited in reports, the CBI received material from the ED soon after the High Court order and registered the case in New Delhi. The investigation has been assigned to a CBI officer based in the national capital.
The case concerns alleged irregularities between 2023 and 2026, including claims of influencing the transfers and postings of government officials, interference in policy decisions, administrative approvals, tender conditions, licensing matters and land-related issues in exchange for alleged financial benefits. The allegations also include the alleged sharing of government documents and policy drafts with private individuals before their official release.
The CBI has named Ghumman and five others in the case, including alleged intermediaries and associates, while also referring to unknown public servants and private persons. The agency subsequently carried out searches at eight locations across Chandigarh and several Punjab districts and said laptops, mobile phones and documents were seized for examination.
The registration of the FIR in New Delhi does not mean that the alleged offences occurred there. The CBI is a central investigative agency, and the case was registered pursuant to the High Court’s direction to the agency to investigate the allegations. The precise legal basis for the FIR’s registration at the Delhi unit would depend on the agency’s jurisdictional assessment and the contents of the case record.
The Punjab government has challenged the High Court’s order before the Supreme Court, arguing against the CBI probe. The Supreme Court has agreed to hear the state’s plea
