Rajbir Singh Ghuman, Officer on Special Duty (OSD) to Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, appeared before the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) at its Sector 30 office here at 3 pm on Friday in connection with an alleged corruption and influence-peddling case.Advocate GPS Ghuman, who accompanied Rajbir to the CBI office, confirmed his appearance, saying he was complying with the directions of the Supreme Court by joining the investigation. Rajbir was still inside the agency’s office at the time of filing of this report.The CBI had issued three notices to Rajbir, asking him to appear before the investigating agency. Notices were also pasted on the gate of his house in his native village of Gharachon in Sangrur district.GPS Ghuman said notices to Rajbir and other accused were now being sent through WhatsApp, which, he claimed, were not legally tenable. “But we decided that all should join the investigation. Yesterday, over five people, including Chuspinder Chahal, an AAP leader from Mansa, joined the investigation and answered all queries of the investigating officers,” he said.The CBI registered the case following an October 5 order of the Punjab and Haryana High Court directing a probe into allegations of corruption and influence-peddling involving government functionaries. The six named accused are Rajbir Singh Ghuman, Nitin Gohal, Jitin Gohal alias Raja, Romi Raja Mahajan, Bir Devinder and Rajdeep Singh Nagra, a rice sheller owner. The FIR also refers to unidentified public servants and private persons.The case has been registered under Section 120-B of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), Section 61(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), and Sections 7, 7A, 8 and 12 of the Prevention of Corruption Act.According to the FIR, the allegations concern the purported exchange of money for government postings, including those of IAS and IPS officers, departmental proceedings, policy formulation, administrative approvals, tender conditions, licensing, change of land use, property disputes and revenue-related matters. The alleged activities are stated to relate to the 2023-2026 period.The 251-page FIR was registered on a complaint by an Enforcement Directorate officer and refers to material shared by the ED with the Punjab Police chief. On October 12, the Supreme Court declined to stay the FIR but directed that no coercive action be taken against the accused at that stage while issuing notice on the Punjab Government’s plea challenging the High Court order. It also directed the state to cooperate with the investigation.