Supreme Court Bars Coercive Action on CBI FIR Linked to Punjab Chief Minister’s Office, but Refuses to Stay the FIR

The Supreme Court on Monday, 12 October 2026, directed that no coercive action be taken on the basis of a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) FIR registered over corruption allegations linked to the Officer on Special Duty (OSD) to Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, The Hindu reported.

Quick Facts

Bench	Headed by Justice M.M. Sundresh
Order	No coercive action on the CBI FIR; the FIR itself not stayed
Petitioner	State of Punjab, represented by senior advocate Vikas Singh
Challenged order	High Court direction to the CBI to probe the allegations
Named in FIR	OSD Rajbir Singh Ghuman and five other accused

What the Court Did

The bench issued notice on the State’s petition but refused to stay the FIR. The FIR accuses Ghuman and five other named accused of influence-peddling and corruption.

Senior advocate Dama Seshadri Naidu, appearing for advocate Nikhil Saraf, who raised the allegations, said his client was facing threats from the State and sought protection.

On 9 October, Justice Sheel Nagu had recused himself from hearing the Punjab government’s appeal.

The High Court Order

Pronouncing its order in a public interest litigation case on 5 October, a High Court Division Bench headed by Chief Justice Ashwani Kumar Mishra said a fair and transparent investigation was required and directed the CBI to probe the allegations. The Hindu said the direction included submitting a report within two months.

The allegations raised by the Enforcement Directorate against public servants and private individuals linked to the Aam Aadmi Party government include corruption in transfers and postings, policy manipulation and cash for tenders.

The State’s Argument

Punjab argues that the High Court order contained errors. In particular, it says the court treated information shared under Section 66(2) of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act as a direction that makes registration of an FIR “inevitable”, contrary to the Supreme Court’s 2022 judgment in *Vijay Madanlal Choudhary*.

Featured image: The Punjab and Haryana High Court in Chandigarh (file photo). Photo by Shanmugamp7, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.