Chandigarh, October 6, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Tuesday registered a case against six persons and conducted searches at eight locations in Chandigarh, Mohali, Jalandhar and other places as part of its probe into alleged corruption involving Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann’s Officer on Special Duty (OSD) Rajbir Singh Ghuman and his associates.
The CBI said its teams recovered incriminating material, laptops, mobile phones and documents during the searches. Digital devices have been sent to a forensic laboratory for extraction of data allegedly linked to bribery and other suspected improprieties.
The agency said it registered the FIR following directions of the Punjab and Haryana High Court and receipt of a report from the Enforcement Directorate (ED).
Those named in the case include Ghuman, OSD to the Punjab Chief Minister; Nitin Gohal; Jitin Gohal alias Raja; Romi Raja Mahajan; Bir Devinder; and R.S. Nagra, along with unknown public servants and private persons.
According to the CBI, the FIR covers allegations that the accused influenced and manipulated postings of government officers, including IAS and IPS officers, departmental proceedings and matters related to policy formulation.
The investigation will also examine alleged manipulation of administrative approvals, tender conditions, licensing matters, land-use conversion, property disputes, and revenue and land-related issues in exchange for alleged pecuniary benefits.
The CBI further alleged that certain public servants had purportedly accessed and shared drafts of government orders and policies with private persons before their official issuance.
Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann and AAP National Convenor Arvind Kejriwal on Tuesday alleged that the CBI action was politically motivated.
The CBI action came a day after the Punjab and Haryana High Court directed the agency to register a case and submit a status report within two months concerning corruption allegations involving Ghuman and others.
The ED had earlier written three letters to Punjab Director General of Police Gaurav Yadav, alleging that Ghuman and his associates, Nitin Gohal and Bir Devinder, were involved in corruption-related activities. The agency had alleged interference in administrative transfers, postings and government tenders and sought registration of an FIR.
After the Punjab Police did not register a case based on the ED communications, advocate Nikhil Saraf approached the High Court through a public interest litigation seeking a CBI probe.
Saraf argued that the ED letters contained serious allegations involving persons linked to the Punjab Chief Minister’s Office and sought an independent investigation without influence from the Punjab Police or Punjab Vigilance Bureau.
The allegations are under investigation, and the CBI’s findings are yet to be established.
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