HC orders CBI probe into allegations of corruption against Punjab CMO

The Punjab and Haryana High Court has ordered a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into the alleged corruption and cash-for-transfers case involving the Punjab Chief Minister’s Office. The court has taken the decision following claims by the Enforcement Directorate regarding alleged corruption and high-profile cash-for-transfers involving the Officer on Special Duty to the Chief Minister. A bench of Chief Justice Ashwani Kumar Mishra and Justice Rohit Kapoor asked the CBI to file a report on its probe within two months.The order was passed in a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) petition filed by advocate Nikhil Saraf.
Earlier, the Enforcement Directorate had reportedly sent three letters to the Punjab Director General of Police seeking registration of a first information report, but state police took no action.According to the ED, an individual named Nitin Gohal acted as an intermediary between people seeking favours from the government, and OSD  Rajbir SinghGhuman. The allegations relate to transfers, access to confidential government documents, facilitation of arms licences and other benefits.
Meanwhile, former Union Minister and senior BJP leader, Ravneet Singh Bittu, in a social media post, has said that the handing over of the corruption case by the High Court to the CBI proves that the state machinery was deliberately shielding its own. He said when three alerts from the ED were brazenly swept under the carpet by the Punjab Police, the court had to step in. Senior Congress leader and Leader of Opposition in Vidhan Sabha, Partap Singh Bajwa, has also welcomed the High Court’s decision and has hoped that the CBI would conduct a fair, impartial and time-bound investigation. Shiromani Akali Dal leader Bikram Singh Majithia also joined the attack on the Mann government, raising questions over the allegations of corruption and demanding accountability from the state government.
AAP General Secretary Baltej Pannu, reacting to the High Court-ordered CBI probe, said: "The Central government does not want the people of Punjab to receive the facilities being provided by the Punjab government. Whether it is free electricity, canal water, cashless healthcare, or financial assistance being transferred into women's accounts, the Centre has withheld Punjab's funds. Despite this, the Punjab government is providing various facilities to the people from its own funds. The Central government believes that as long as these facilities continue to reach the people, it will not be able to gain political benefit in Punjab. That is why the Punjab government's team is being targeted."