Chandigarh, Oct. 9 -- Booked as "accused number 1" by the CBI in a corruption case linked to transfers and postings in the Punjab government, the chief minister's officer on special duty (OSD) Rajbir Singh Ghuman has had an extraordinary trajectory-from a little-known party loyalist before the 2022 assembly elections to one of the most influential figures in the Chief Minister's Office.

Ghuman was virtually unknown in Punjab's political circles, even within the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) when Bhagwant Mann became chief minister in 2022. But his course changed dramatically after he was appointed OSD to Mann, with whom his association goes back to the latter's days as the Sangrur Lok Sabha MP between 2014 and 2022.

A native of Gharachon villag...