Punjab takes ED raids on Mohali development authority to high court

• The Punjab government has challenged the Enforcement Directorate’s ongoing searches at GMADA and other locations

• After an urgent overnight hearing, the Punjab and Haryana High Court appointed a warrant officer who can visit the search sites and must report to the court by 2 pm on Thursday

• The ED is investigating alleged irregularities involving land acquisition, land-use changes and financial concessions to private real estate firms

The Punjab government has approached the Punjab and Haryana High Court over ongoing Enforcement Directorate (ED) searches at the Greater Mohali Area Development Authority (GMADA) and other locations. Following an urgent hearing that began late on Wednesday, the court appointed a senior-rank warrant officer to visit the search sites and submit a status report by 2 pm on Thursday.

The matter was heard by Justice Sanjay Vashisth, with proceedings continuing into the early hours. The court authorised the warrant officer to visit the locations at any time and directed the Chandigarh director general of police and the Mohali Senior Superintendent of Police to provide the necessary security.

During the hearing, the state said that some senior government functionaries had allegedly been detained and that the searches had brought government work to a standstill. Those were submissions made to the court; the warrant officer’s report had yet to be filed.

The ED began searches at GMADA’s Mohali headquarters on Tuesday under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act. The operation subsequently extended to other locations in Punjab, Chandigarh, Panchkula and Delhi, including premises linked to Tirupati Infraprojects Pvt Ltd and associated companies.

The agency is examining alleged irregularities in land acquisition, changes in land use and financial concessions granted to private real estate entities. It suspects that undue gains to private firms, and the corresponding loss to the public exchequer, could exceed Rs 100 crore. These are allegations under investigation.

The searches have also prompted a political dispute. The ruling Aam Aadmi Party has accused the BJP-led Centre of using investigative agencies to pressure Punjab officials and obstruct the state government’s work. The court has made no finding on those allegations.

With IANS inputs