CBI books Punjab CM’s OSD Ghuman, raids 8 locations

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Tuesday booked Rajbir Singh Ghuman, Officer on Special Duty (OSD) to Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, and five others, and then searched eight premises linked to them across Punjab and Chandigarh.

The FIR followed an order of the Punjab and Haryana High Court and a report from the Enforcement Directorate. The allegations concern influence over postings, files and licences around the CM’s office.

The CBI said the case involves manipulating transfers and postings, including those of IAS and IPS officers. It also covers interference in departmental proceedings, promotions, approvals, tenders, licensing, land-use changes, property disputes, and revenue matters. The agency also alleges that some public servants shared drafts of orders and policies with private individuals before making them official.

The FIR lists Ghuman, Nitin Gohal, Jitin Gohal (also known as Raja), Romi Raja Mahajan, Bir Devinder, and RS Nagra, as well as some unnamed public servants and private individuals. According to the agency, two of these six are public servants, while the others are described as middlemen and associates.

CBI teams searched locations in Chandigarh, Mohali, Gurdaspur, Ludhiana, Patiala, Sangrur, and Jalandhar. Officers took laptops, mobile phones, and documents, and said they are reviewing the evidence. Reports said teams were seen at the Chief Minister’s camp office in Sector 2, Chandigarh, at Ghuman’s house in Gharachon village in Sangrur, and at a Phase 11 home in Mohali linked to a close relative. The CBI said the investigation is still ongoing.

The High Court issued the order on Monday, with Chief Justice Ashwani Kumar Mishra and Justice Rohit Kapoor, on a public interest petition filed by advocate Nikhil Saraf. The ED wrote to the Punjab Director General of Police in July and August, asking for an FIR. The material described Nitin Gohal as an intermediary between people seeking Government favours and Ghuman, and referred to transfers and access to confidential documents.

The court noted that the police started a preliminary inquiry and called in some people but did not involve Ghuman or seek his response. The judges said they were not satisfied with how the case was handled. They found that the ED’s material showed possible offences by someone in a high public office, and ordered the CBI to register a case, investigate, and report within two months. The state was told to help with the investigation.

Before the searches were finished, the Punjab Government approached the Supreme Court. A special leave petition challenging the High Court order was filed early Tuesday and was still pending while teams continued their searches.

Opposition leaders, including Shiromani Akali Dal president Sukhbir Singh Badal, called it a cash-for-postings case and questioned why the State police had not filed an FIR based on the ED’s letters. Meanwhile, the Chief Minister’s camp said the action was politically motivated.