Sangrur l
A Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) team on Tuesday evening conducted a search at the ancestral residence of Rajbir Singh Ghuman, Officer on Special Duty (OSD) to Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, in Gharachon village of Sangrur district.
The search was carried out at Ghuman’s residence under Bhawanigarh police station. According to information available from the local authorities, the CBI team reached the premises at around 6:10 pm and was led by Inspector Radheman Sharma.
The operation comes amid an expanding CBI investigation into allegations concerning the functioning of the Punjab Chief Minister’s Office, including claims related to government transfers and postings and other alleged irregularities. The Punjab and Haryana High Court on Monday directed the CBI to register a criminal case and conduct an investigation into allegations raised in communications sent by the Enforcement Directorate to the Punjab Director General of Police.
Ghuman is among the individuals named in the allegations. The High Court, while ordering the CBI probe, said the material placed before it warranted an independent and transparent investigation. The allegations, however, remain subject to investigation and have not been established as fact.
The Sangrur search is part of a wider series of CBI operations reported at locations associated with Ghuman. Searches were also conducted at premises linked to him in and around Chandigarh and Mohali, as the agency began acting on the High Court’s direction.
The Punjab government has challenged the High Court’s order before the Supreme Court. The state filed a Special Leave Petition early Tuesday, and a bench headed by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant agreed to consider the plea, with the matter expected to be taken up on Wednesday or Thursday.
The outcome of the search conducted at Ghuman’s ancestral residence in Gharachon was not immediately available. Further details are expected once the CBI team completes its operation and records the findings of the search.
The development adds another significant chapter to the escalating legal and political controversy surrounding allegations linked to the Punjab government. With the investigation now formally in the hands of the CBI and the state government challenging the High Court’s order in the Supreme Court, the matter is likely to remain under close judicial and political scrutiny.
