Punjab Govt To Move SC Against CBI Probe Into ED Letters Naming CM Mann’s OSD

Chandigarh: The Punjab government will approach the Supreme Court to challenge the Punjab and Haryana High Court's order directing a CBI probe into the matter concerning letters written by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) to the Punjab Director General of Police (DGP), according to sources in the AAP. 

The state government will file an appeal before the Supreme Court against the High Court's order in the matter. The Punjab and Haryana High Court had ordered the investigation into the matter concerning letters written by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) to the Punjab Director General of Police (DGP) to be handed over to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) yesterday. 

Notably, the ED had written three letters to the Punjab DGP seeking the registration of an FIR against Rajbir Singh Ghumman, Officer on Special Duty (OSD) to Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, and certain other individuals, alleging their involvement in corruption. The PIL was filed in the High Court after the Punjab Police failed to register a case. 

The direction came during the hearing of a PIL filed by Advocate Nikhil Thamman, who submitted that Punjab has not had a regular DGP for more than four years. 

The petition referred to the Supreme Court's judgment in the Prakash Singh vs Union of India case and the directions regarding the appointment of a regular DGP. The petitioner submitted that the Supreme Court's directions provide for the appointment of a DGP from a panel recommended by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC). 

Meanwhile, Punjab Congress Chief Pargat Singh alleged systemic corruption in the state administration and warned officials against aligning with the government, following the Punjab and Haryana High Court's directive to transfer the case involving letters written by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) to the Punjab Director General of Police (DGP) to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Monday. 

Speaking to ANI, Singh took a swipe at the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), terming it and the party members a "sham," adding that even the office of Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann has been under scrutiny. "This party was created by the BJP as their own B-team, but the idea was to make the laws so strict that no matter who the minister or senior official was, anyone involved in corruption would automatically end up in jail. Today, that is the situation. The entire episode involving Arvind Kejriwal and his associates is a sham. Even the Chief Minister's Office has been linked to allegations of corruption, which had also been raised earlier by the Enforcement Directorate," he said.