Punjab govt moves SC against CBI probe into ‘bribe syndicate’ linked to Mann OSD
Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann's government has approached the Supreme Court for an urgent hearing. They aim to challenge a High Court order that mandated a CBI investigation into corruption allegations. The High Court's concerns include alleged coercive actions by the Central Bureau of Investigation in the state. The Punjab government argues that the orders violate governance principles…
The Punjab government has sought an urgent stay of the Supreme Court's order directing the CBI to investigate allegations of a bribery syndicate influencing transfers, postings, tenders and policy decisions through an OSD (Official Secretary) in the Chief Minister's office. The order was made on Monday by the Punjab and Haryana High Court, which had directed the CBI to register an FIR based on the Enforcement Directorate's (ED) allegations.
The Punjab government argued that the HC's decision was unconstitutional and breached the federal scheme of governance. The ED had provided a 150-page communication to the Punjab DGP under the Punjab Investigative Agencies Act, alleging that Nihal Gohal, whose premises were searched in May, had influenced transfers and postings.
The state government claimed that the HC erred by sending the CBI into a state which had withdrawn consent to the agency to carry out an investigation in the state's jurisdiction, without citing any exceptional circumstances. The HC had ordered the CBI probe due to what it held to be inaction in registering an FIR on the material evidence sent by the ED.
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