The Supreme Court on Thursday deferred by a day the Punjab government’s challenge to a high court order directing the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to register a criminal case into alleged corruption linked to chief minister Bhagwant Mann’s office, refusing to pass any interim order against the probe without first allowing both judges on the bench to examine the matter.
Singh agreed to the deferment to enable Justice Nagu to go through the state government’s challenge but pressed for the matter to be taken up at the earliest. The case has unfolded against a charged political backdrop in Punjab, with assembly elections due early next year and the Mann government alleging that the CBI and ED action is politically motivated targeting by the BJP. The agency has alleged that the accused operated an organised network to manipulate IAS and IPS postings, departmental proceedings, policy formulation, administrative approvals, tenders, licensing, arms licences and land-use conversions in return for bribes. The agency also alleged that unreleased government notifications and internal draft policies were leaked to private beneficiaries.
The CBI registered a 251-page FIR around midnight on October 5, naming Ghuman, alleged middleman Nitin Gohal, his brother Jitin Gohal alias Raja, Romi Raja Mahajan, Bir Devinder and RS Nagra.
A bench of justices Dipankar Datta and Sheel Nagu agreed to hear the matter on Friday after senior counsel Vikas Singh, appearing for the Punjab government, pointed out the urgency and sought an interim direction that the CBI and Enforcement Directorate (ED) “may not precipitate the matter”. The bench was told that the case file had not reached Justice Nagu, who was sitting as the puisne judge on the bench, in time. Justice Nagu said he would need to examine the file before taking a call on whether he could hear the matter. sources indicated that the accused had also held off on appearing while awaiting the Supreme Court’s consideration of the Punjab government’s plea While the chief minister’s office said Ghuman had not been formally served the summons.
Ghuman and the five co-accused did not appear before the CBI at its Chandigarh office on Wednesday. When the matter was mentioned before Chief Justice of India Surya Kant on Tuesday, senior counsel Vikas Singh sought an immediate hearing and argued that the high court had ordered a CBI inquiry against state government officers without adequate material. The CJI declined to hear it the same day but said the matter would be accommodated on Wednesday or Thursday.
