High Court Refers ED’s Corruption Complaint to the CBI
The Punjab and Haryana High Court has handed over a matter concerning purported misuse of power by officials attached to Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). The case originated from a series of letters dispatched by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) to Punjab’s Director General of Police, Gaurav Yadav, urging swift action.
Petition’s genesis
Advocate Nikhil Saraf approached the court with a Public Interest Litigation after the state police allegedly ignored the ED’s three communications. The letters demanded an FIR against the chief minister’s Officer on Special Duty, Rajbir Singh Ghuman, along with several others, accusing them of influencing government transfers, postings, tender processes and related administrative decisions.
CBI tasked with filing FIR and reporting
A two‑judge bench headed by Chief Justice Ashwani Kumar Mishra and Justice Rohit Kapoor instructed the CBI to lodge a criminal case and launch a comprehensive investigation. The agency must furnish a thorough status report to the court within two months, and the bench ordered the Punjab government and its police force to extend full cooperation.
Why the PIL was necessary
The petition contends that the Punjab police’s refusal to act on the ED’s letters left the PIL as the sole mechanism to secure an independent probe. The ED’s concerns surfaced amid an ongoing money‑laundering enquiry, where it flagged possible participation of private intermediaries and individuals close to the chief minister’s office in steering official choices.
Potential political fallout
This development is poised to intensify the already fraught political atmosphere in the state. The ruling Aam Aadmi Party has dismissed the accusations as partisan attacks, accusing central agencies of being weaponised against the government. Chief Minister Mann has similarly branded the allegations as unfounded. With the High Court now assigning the investigation to the CBI, the probe will proceed at the central level, and the stipulated two‑month deadline imposes a clear timetable for the next phase.
