Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann’s officer on special duty (OSD) Rajbir Singh Ghuman and five other accused did not appear before the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in Chandigarh on Wednesday after being summoned in connection with a corruption case involving alleged bribery and influence-peddling.
He also decided to wait for the Supreme Court to take up the Punjab government’s plea challenging the Punjab and Haryana high court order that directed the CBI to register a case and investigate the allegations. Ghuman has been named accused number one, along with alleged middleman Nitin Gohal, his brother Jitin Gohal, alias Raja, another OSD in the chief minister’s office, Romi Raja Mahajan, AAP youth wing leader Bir Devinder and businessman RS Nagra. The FIR also refers to unknown public servants and private individuals. The allegations emerged during the ED’s money-laundering investigation into GMADA land allotments. The allegations cited in the FIR include alleged interference in policy formulation, amendments to departmental rules, administrative approvals, tender conditions, licensing and change-of-land-use matters. The document also refers to alleged influence over demarcation proceedings, property disputes, housing schemes, transfers and postings, and government decisions. The Punjab government has simultaneously moved the Supreme Court through a special leave petition challenging the high court order and seeking a stay on the CBI proceedings.
The CBI registered a 251-page FIR on October 5 following the high court’s directions.
People familiar with the matter said Ghuman did not appear as he had not formally been served the summons. The ED alleged that Gohal acted as an intermediary for Ghuman and, in collusion with him and others, operated an alleged bribery network, according to the CBI FIR.
