Punjab High Court Refers CM Mann Office Corruption Probe to CBI

High Court Sends ED’s Corruption Complaint to CBI

The Punjab and Haryana High Court has handed over a case alleging misuse of power by officials attached to Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). The referral follows a chain of letters dispatched by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) to Punjab’s Director General of Police, Gaurav Yadav, urging immediate action.

Petition background

Advocate Nikhil Saraf filed a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) after the state police allegedly ignored three separate communications from the ED. Those letters sought an FIR against the chief minister’s Officer on Special Duty, Rajbir Singh Ghuman, and several other persons accused of influencing government transfers, postings, tenders and related administrative decisions.

CBI instructed to register FIR and report

A division bench headed by Chief Justice Ashwani Kumar Mishra and Justice Rohit Kapoor directed the CBI to file a criminal case and launch a comprehensive investigation. The agency must file a detailed status report with the court within two months, and the bench ordered the Punjab government and police to extend full cooperation.

PIL prompted 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 mechanism to secure an independent probe. The ED’s concerns surfaced during an ongoing money‑laundering enquiry, where it flagged possible involvement of private intermediaries and individuals close to the chief minister’s office in steering official decisions.

Political fallout

The move is expected to intensify the already fraught political atmosphere in the state. The ruling Aam Aadmi Party has dismissed the allegations as politically motivated, accusing central agencies of being weaponised against the government. Chief Minister Mann has similarly branded the claims as baseless. With the High Court now tasking the CBI, the investigation will proceed at the central level, and the two‑month deadline imposes a clear timetable for the next phase.