Overview
- CBI teams pasted fresh summons at Rajbir Singh Ghuman’s residence and emailed notices after he again did not appear for questioning on Friday, and he submitted a legal reply instead of attending the agency’s Sector 30 office in Chandigarh.
- The FIR was registered following Punjab and Haryana High Court orders and material from the Enforcement Directorate, and names six people including Ghuman, two public servants and several alleged intermediaries.
- Investigators carried out coordinated searches at eight locations across Chandigarh and multiple Punjab districts and seized laptops, mobile phones and documents now being forensically examined.
- Ghuman has asked the High Court to quash the FIR, arguing the CBI lacked the prior government sanction required by Section 17‑A of the Prevention of Corruption Act, and the single‑judge bench has referred his petition to the chief justice with the state also moving the Supreme Court.
- The case has strong political ramifications ahead of the 2027 Punjab elections as the chief minister’s office denies wrongdoing, opponents press for accountability, and the probe’s next steps will hinge on court rulings and the outcome of the forensic review.