Patiala: Punjab and Haryana high court on Thursday issued notices on a PIL seeking a court-monitored CBI probe into an alleged cash-for-transfer and corruption racket involving senior Punjab functionaries and private intermediaries.A division bench of acting Chief Justice Ashwani Kumar Mishra and Justice Rohit Kapoor termed the allegations “serious” and directed Enforcement Directorate (ED) to place on record communications sent to the Punjab director general of police. It also asked state govt to clarify its proposed action. The next hearing is on Sept 3.The petition, filed by advocate Nikhil Saraf, alleged large-scale corruption in bureaucratic transfers, policy changes and tenders linked to certain individuals operating close to the chief minister’s office.Additional solicitor general Satya Pal Jain, representing ED, confirmed that the agency had sent three communications under Section 66(2) of Prevention of Money Laundering Act to Punjab DGP on July 24, July 31 and Aug 7 regarding the alleged irregularities.Punjab advocate general Maninderjit Singh Bedi raised a preliminary objection on the PIL’s maintainability and questioned the petitioner’s credentials. The counsel for the Centre, ED and CBI accepted the notice.According to the PIL, digital evidence and financial trails gathered during an ED investigation indicated several instances of alleged misconduct across state departments. It claimed that an officer on special duty to chief minister and a private intermediary influenced postings and transfers of more than 20 senior IAS, IPS, PCS and DSP officers in exchange for money.The plea also alleged that draft transfer lists and classified administrative files were leaked to unauthorised persons before official issuance.Other allegations concerned kickbacks and irregularities in tenders, including procurement of fortified rice kernels through Markfed and food and civil supplies department; cartelisation in transport contracts; off-record cash transactions involving Punjab Small Industries & Export Corporation-land allotments in Mohali; change of land use clearances; and expedited arms licences.
