- Punjab High Court transferred corruption allegations to CBI for probe.
- ED alleged widespread corruption; Punjab Police inaction prompted PIL.
- Allegations include transfers, postings, naming CM’s OSD Ghuman.
- CBI ordered to submit a status report within two months.
The Punjab and Haryana High Court has transferred to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) a matter concerning allegations of corruption involving the Punjab Chief Minister’s Office and private persons. The court has also directed the agency to submit a status report within two months.
The case relates to allegations raised by the Enforcement Directorate (ED), which had written to the Punjab Director General of Police (DGP) seeking action against several persons.
The ED had written three letters to the Punjab DGP alleging widespread corruption in transfers and postings, Change of Land Use (CLU) matters and other works in the state. The agency had sought action in connection with the allegations and had also named Rajbir Ghuman, an Officer on Special Duty (OSD) to Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann.
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How The Case Reached High Court
The matter reached the Punjab and Haryana High Court after the Punjab Police allegedly failed to take action on the ED’s complaints. Advocate Nikhil Saraf subsequently filed a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) seeking action in the matter.
The PIL alleged that senior officials in Punjab were involved in various forms of corruption, including allegedly taking money for transfers and postings, influencing policies, awarding tenders and other activities.
The allegations also included claims of money being sought in connection with favourable policy decisions and other government-related works.
The High Court had reserved its order in the matter after hearing the PIL in September. The order had remained reserved for around three weeks before the court delivered its decision on Monday.
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High Court Orders CBI Investigation
Hearing the PIL, the Punjab and Haryana High Court transferred the matter to the CBI for investigation. The court also directed the agency to submit a status report within two months.
The order comes against the backdrop of the corruption allegations raised by the ED in its communications to the Punjab DGP. The ED had sought action against several persons, including the Punjab CM’s OSD Rajbir Ghuman.
The development is being seen as a setback for the Punjab government, with the High Court now handing the matter over to the CBI for investigation.
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: abplive.com
