The Aam Aadmi Party administration in Punjab failed to secure an immediate intervention from the Supreme Court after approaching the apex bench over corruption allegations tied to the Chief Minister's office. Seeking urgent intervention against recent legal directions, the state government requested an immediate hearing on the matter. However, Chief Justice of India Surya Kant declined to take up the petition urgently, clarifying that no instantaneous relief would be granted and indicating the court would consider listing the petition in the coming days.
Courtroom Exchanges and the Plea for Urgent Listing
Appearing on behalf of the Punjab government, Senior Advocate Vikas Singh pressed for the matter to be heard on the same day. CJI Surya Kant turned down the request, observing that the bench would not hear the petition immediately. The Chief Justice indicated that the court could attempt to take up the matter the following day, or schedule it for the day after.
Pressing the urgency, the senior counsel asked whether the hearing could positively take place tomorrow, contending that such controversies were being engineered during election season. He cited the precedent set in the Vijay Madanlal Choudhary ruling to support his argument. The counsel further submitted that the entire development represented a clear infraction of the country's federal structure.
Judicial Response and High Court's CBI Directive
In response to the submissions, CJI Surya Kant remarked that the bench would first examine the volume of matters before deciding. Emphasizing that nothing would happen immediately, the Chief Justice reiterated that the bench would try tomorrow, and if not, the petition would certainly be taken up the following day.
The controversy stems from an order delivered by the Punjab and Haryana High Court. A division bench comprising Chief Justice Ashwani Kumar Mishra and Justice Rohit Kapoor had directed the Central Bureau of Investigation on Monday to register a criminal case regarding corruption charges leveled against Rajbir Singh Ghuman, who serves as an Officer on Special Duty to Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann.
In its comprehensive directions, the High Court also instructed the Punjab government and the state police department to extend unreserved cooperation to the central investigative agency to ensure an impartial and thorough inquiry. It was against this High Court order that the state government urgently approached the Supreme Court.
