NEW DELHI: The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) on Saturday took cognisance of allegations that Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann’s wife, Gurpreet Kaur, sought ₹5 crore to allegedly “suppress” a rape case, and directed the Punjab Chief Secretary and Director General of Police to inquire into the matter.
The Commission has sought an Action Taken Report (ATR) within two weeks.
NHRC member Priyank Kanoongo said the complaint had been submitted by former Punjab and Haryana High Court judge Justice Ranjit Singh.
“We have received a complaint from former Punjab and Haryana High Court Justice Ranjit Singh alleging that the wife of Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann attempted to hush up a rape case in exchange for a bribe of ₹5 crore,” Kanoongo said.
He said the NHRC had also apprised the Union Ministry of Home Affairs of the allegations.
Kanoongo said the Commission would proceed further after receiving reports from the Punjab Chief Secretary and DGP.
He added that government officials were expected to exercise the powers vested in them by the Constitution for public welfare and warned that action could be taken if officials were found acting under political pressure.
The development comes days after the NHRC, on August 19, took cognisance of another complaint concerning the alleged non-observance of Independence Day in government schools across Punjab.
That complaint raised concerns particularly about schools in rural, remote and border areas where Independence Day celebrations were allegedly not held, potentially denying students an opportunity to participate in the national festival.
In that case, the Punjab Chief Secretary has been asked to submit a detailed Action Taken/Compliance Report within four weeks.
The Commission has also sought information from the Union Ministry of Education and apprised the Ministry of Home Affairs for appropriate action.
The NHRC is examining whether children studying in border areas were denied equal opportunities to participate in Independence Day celebrations solely because of the geographical location of their schools.
The allegations against Gurpreet Kaur remain unproven at this stage, and the NHRC has sought an inquiry and official report before deciding on further action.
