High Court Transfers ED’s Corruption Complaint to CBI
The Punjab and Haryana High Court has ordered that a case alleging corrupt practices by officials connected to Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann be investigated by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). The issue arose after the Enforcement Directorate (ED) dispatched several letters to Punjab’s Director General of Police, Gaurav Yadav, urging action.
Petition background
Advocate Nikhil Saraf filed a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) after the state police reportedly ignored the ED’s three communications. The letters sought an FIR against the chief minister’s Officer on Special Duty, Rajbir Singh Ghuman, and a number of others accused of influencing government transfers, postings, tenders and related administrative decisions.
CBI instructed to file FIR and submit status report
A division bench headed by Chief Justice Ashwani Kumar Mishra and Justice Rohit Kapoor directed the CBI to register a criminal case and launch a comprehensive inquiry. The agency must present a detailed status report to the court within sixty days, and the bench instructed the Punjab government and its police force to cooperate fully with the investigation.
PIL triggered by police inaction
The petition contends that the Punjab police’s refusal to act on the ED’s letters left the PIL as the sole recourse for an independent probe. The ED’s concerns emerged amid an ongoing money‑laundering inquiry, which highlighted possible involvement of private intermediaries and individuals close to the chief minister’s office in swaying official decisions.
Political fallout
The ruling is likely to intensify the already charged political atmosphere in the state. The Aam Aadmi Party has dismissed the accusations as politically motivated, accusing central agencies of being weaponised against the government. Chief Minister Mann has similarly branded the claims as unfounded. With the High Court now assigning the matter to the CBI, the investigation will proceed at the central level, and the two‑month reporting deadline sets a clear timetable for the next steps.
