October 6, 2026: The Punjab government has moved the Supreme Court challenging a Punjab and Haryana High Court order directing the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to register a criminal case and probe corruption allegations linked to the office of Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann.
The State government filed a Special Leave Petition (SLP) against the High Court order, which was passed on Monday. Senior Advocate Vikas Singh, appearing for Punjab, sought an urgent hearing before Chief Justice of India Surya Kant on Tuesday, citing the upcoming Assembly elections and arguing that the case raised questions concerning the country’s federal structure, Live Law and Bar & Bench report.
Punjab Cites Poll-Time Urgency
Singh told the Supreme Court that the allegations concerned transfers and postings of State officers and claimed that such cases were being “trumped up” during election time. He argued that Punjab was heading for polls and described the case as one involving the federal structure.
Chief Justice Surya Kant did not list the matter for hearing on Tuesday but indicated that it could be taken up on Wednesday or Thursday.
The timing of the case has clearly added a political dimension to what is fundamentally a legal battle over serious corruption allegations. Punjab’s argument places the focus on federalism and the approaching elections, while the High Court’s order centres on whether the State police adequately responded to information provided by a central investigating agency.
Singh also submitted that the High Court had issued its direction because the Punjab Police did not act on information furnished by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) under Section 66(2) of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act. He argued that the police were required to act only if the information disclosed a cognisable offence and contended that the High Court’s direction was contrary to the Supreme Court’s judgment in Vijay Madanlal Chaudhary.
High Court Orders CBI Investigation
A Punjab and Haryana High Court bench comprising Chief Justice Ashwani Kumar Mishra and Justice Rohit Kapoor had on Monday directed the CBI to register a criminal case over allegations concerning Rajbir Singh Ghuman, Officer on Special Duty (OSD) to Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann.
The High Court also directed Punjab and the Punjab Police to provide all assistance required by the CBI for a fair investigation. The central agency was asked to submit a status report on its probe within two months.
The directions came while the High Court was hearing a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by advocate Nikhil Saraf. The petition challenged the Punjab Police’s alleged failure to act despite communications from the ED seeking a probe into the allegations against Ghuman.
According to material placed before the High Court, the ED alleged that Nitin Gohal acted as an intermediary between people seeking favours from the Punjab government and Ghuman. The allegations involved transfers, access to confidential government documents, facilitation of arms licences and other benefits.
Court Questions Police Response
The High Court observed that information shared by the ED prima facie indicated the commission of cognisable offences involving high public office and had the potential to endanger public interest.
It found that Punjab had conducted only a form of “preliminary inquiry” after receiving the ED’s information on August 3. Although notices were issued to several people, the High Court noted that Mann’s OSD had not been asked to join the probe.
The court also found that the Punjab Police had delayed the matter while seeking legible copies of documents from the ED. It observed that the material forwarded by the agency contained incriminating information and should have prompted a responsible response from the State police.
“The material shared by ED prima facie indicated involvement of high public officials in acts of corruption and at least required registering of FIR so that proper investigation in the matter would be carried out. This is not the response of the Punjab Police,” the High Court said.
Legal Battle Moves To Top Court
The case now presents the Supreme Court with competing concerns. Punjab is questioning the High Court’s decision to hand the investigation to the CBI and is invoking federalism, police powers and the political context of the approaching elections. The High Court, on the other hand, based its intervention on what it considered an inadequate response by the Punjab Police to material alleging corruption involving high public officials.
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The allegations remain subject to investigation, and the Supreme Court has yet to decide Punjab’s challenge to the CBI probe. With the Chief Justice indicating that the petition could be listed on Wednesday or Thursday, the immediate question is whether the High Court-directed investigation will face intervention from the country’s top court.
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