Ahead of assembly elections in Punjab, the governing Aam Aadmi Party has encountered a major legal and political setback. The Punjab and Haryana High Court has ordered the Central Bureau of Investigation to step in and probe bribery and extortion charges involving Rajbir Singh Ghuman, the Officer on Special Duty to Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann. Delivering its verdict on a public interest petition, the high court instructed the central agency to conclude its inquiries and place an official report before it within two months. While the judgment deals a direct blow to the ruling dispensation in Chandigarh, the state government has announced plans to approach the Supreme Court against the decision.
Enforcement Directorate Communications and Public Interest Litigation
The judicial directive traces its roots to grave claims raised by the Enforcement Directorate. The financial investigation agency has alleged that Rajbir Singh Ghuman was running an extortion racket across the territory of Punjab, collecting crores of rupees by offering influence over government contracts and mining operations. Prompted by these findings, the Enforcement Directorate dispatched three separate letters to Punjab's Director General of Police seeking registration of a formal first information report against Ghuman. When local authorities did not act on these communications, a public interest litigation was brought before the high court, leading directly to the current handover to the central investigating body.
State Prepares Supreme Court Challenge Citing Revoked Consent
Unwilling to let the order stand, the state cabinet is preparing an appeal before the country's highest judicial forum. Outlining the government's stance, Punjab Finance Minister Harpal Cheema underscored that the central agency lacks jurisdiction without administrative clearance. Cheema pointed out that general consent for Central Bureau of Investigation operations within Punjab had already been rescinded under the previous Congress administration. On that basis, the minister argued that no domestic case in the state can be transferred to the central probe agency without the explicit approval of the elected state government.
Opposition Mounts Sharp Attacks on Ruling Party Leadership
The court ruling triggered immediate and aggressive condemnation from rival political outfits across Punjab. Bharatiya Janata Party leader Sambit Patra claimed that systemic corruption runs across every level of governance in the state and that rampant bribery has now received judicial validation. Patra remarked that Ghuman was merely a pawn in a broader conduit funneling kickbacks to top decision-makers, suggesting that the investigation's net would ultimately draw in Bhagwant Mann alongside Arvind Kejriwal.
Shiromani Akali Dal leader Bikram Majithia also targeted the ruling party, stating that the high court has stripped away the administration's claims of integrity. Majithia maintained that whether dealing with Rajbir Ghuman or Nitin Guhal, all individuals linked to the matter will face scrutiny as hidden details emerge. Congress Member of Parliament Gurjeet Singh Aujla added that had the chief minister's administration been clean, it would have initiated a police complaint against its own OSD rather than leaving intervention to the judiciary. Aujla argued that voters were misled by rhetoric and would hold the leadership accountable. Earlier, Kejriwal had claimed that Punjab's assembly elections might take place ahead of schedule, declaring that Bhagwant Mann would remain the party's chief ministerial candidate.
