Punjab High Court Grants Interim Protection to Lawyer Amid Corruption Probe PIL
Chandigarh: In a significant development, the Punjab and Haryana High Court has intervened to provide temporary relief to Advocate Nikhil Saraf, a petitioner who recently sought a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into high-level corruption allegations involving associates of Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann. The court’s intervention follows Saraf’s urgent plea late Friday night, in which he claimed he was being subjected to retaliatory harassment by state agencies after challenging the government in court.
The legal standoff centers on Saraf’s farmhouse located in the Majri area of Mohali. The lawyer approached the court with an urgent petition, expressing strong apprehensions that the state administration was planning to demolish his property as a punitive measure for filing a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) that has put the current administration under intense scrutiny.
Court Order Halts Demolition
Responding to the urgency of the matter, a special bench was constituted to hear the plea during non-business hours. During the proceedings, the Punjab government’s counsel clarified that while notices regarding the farmhouse had been issued previously—dating back to November 2024 and an order from September 2—the state has agreed to refrain from any demolition activity until September 11.
While the court has not yet established a direct link between the PIL and the demolition proceedings, the interim protection ensures that no structural action will be taken against the advocate’s property while the legal battle over the corruption allegations continues.
Allegations of Corruption and Influence
The petition filed by Saraf seeks a formal CBI investigation into a communication sent by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) to the Punjab Director General of Police, Gaurav Yadav, on August 12. The ED’s report alleges that a corrupt network operated within the corridors of power, purportedly involving an intermediary named Nitin Gohal who acted as a conduit between the public and Rajbir Ghuman, an Officer on Special Duty (OSD) to Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann.
According to the claims outlined in the petition, the network allegedly exerted undue influence over government transfers, official postings, tender allocations, and the granting of arms licenses. Furthermore, the petition mentions allegations of confidential government document leaks. The ED has purportedly claimed that the accused individuals—identified as Rajbir Ghuman, Bir Devinder, and Jitin Goyal alias Raja—facilitated these favors in exchange for bribes, including significant amounts of cash, land holdings, and other assets.
The state government has previously maintained that it holds a zero-tolerance policy toward corruption. However, the emergence of these allegations, combined with the subsequent administrative action against the whistleblower’s property, has sparked a political firestorm.
As the matter remains sub-judice, the High Court is expected to resume hearings to deliberate on the merits of the PIL and the veracity of the corruption claims. For now, the legal focus remains on the September 11 deadline, by which time the state must clarify its position on the property dispute, while the broader investigation into the alleged corruption remains a focal point of judicial attention.
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