The Crossbill News Desk
The Union government has approved a major expansion of the Enforcement Directorate (ED), increasing the anti-money laundering agency’s manpower by more than 60% amid continuing allegations from opposition parties that central investigative agencies are being used to target political rivals.
According to a PTI report citing officials, the Ministry of Finance on Wednesday cleared a long-pending cadre restructuring exercise that will raise the ED’s sanctioned strength from 2,029 to 3,256 personnel.
The restructuring, approved after nearly 15 years, adds 1,227 new positions across six cadres, including the executive, legal and adjudication wings that form the core of the agency’s investigative machinery.
Official figures cited by PTI show that the expansion includes 803 additional posts of assistant enforcement officer, 606 enforcement officers and 531 assistant directors of enforcement. The last such restructuring exercise for the agency took place in 2011.
The strengthening of the ED comes at a time when the agency has sharply expanded its operations under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
During the 2025-26 financial year, searches and raids conducted by the ED nearly doubled to 2,892. The same period also witnessed the “highest-ever” provisional attachment of assets, with the value of attached properties rising by 171% to Rs 81,422 crore under 712 orders.
The agency also filed 812 prosecution complaints or chargesheets in FY26, compared to 457 during the previous financial year. Meanwhile, the number of Enforcement Case Information Reports (ECIRs) increased by 39%, reaching 1,080 cases in FY26 against 775 registered during FY25.
The move is likely to intensify the political debate surrounding the functioning of the ED. Opposition parties have repeatedly accused the BJP-led Union government of “misusing” central agencies such as the ED and the Income Tax Department to pressure opposition leaders and governments.
Last year, the Union government informed Parliament that out of more than 190 ED cases involving political leaders over the past decade, only two had resulted in convictions.
Fresh criticism emerged this week after ED officials carried out searches at the residence of former Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan. Several opposition leaders described the raids as another instance of the “misuse of central agencies” against non-BJP parties.
Earlier this year, the ED and the Income Tax Department also conducted operations against leaders of the Aam Aadmi Party and the All India Trinamool Congress. In West Bengal, ahead of the Assembly elections, the ED reportedly carried out around 20 operations involving searches, arrests, property attachments and interrogations across multiple cases.
Similar searches were conducted in Kerala in January 2026 at 21 locations linked to a Sabarimala-related gold misappropriation case as the state prepared for elections.
According to a PTI report citing officials, the Ministry of Finance on Wednesday cleared a long-pending cadre restructuring exercise that will raise the ED’s sanctioned strength from 2,029 to 3,256 personnel.
The restructuring, approved after nearly 15 years, adds 1,227 new positions across six cadres, including the executive, legal and adjudication wings that form the core of the agency’s investigative machinery.
Official figures cited by PTI show that the expansion includes 803 additional posts of assistant enforcement officer, 606 enforcement officers and 531 assistant directors of enforcement. The last such restructuring exercise for the agency took place in 2011.
The strengthening of the ED comes at a time when the agency has sharply expanded its operations under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
During the 2025-26 financial year, searches and raids conducted by the ED nearly doubled to 2,892. The same period also witnessed the “highest-ever” provisional attachment of assets, with the value of attached properties rising by 171% to Rs 81,422 crore under 712 orders.
The agency also filed 812 prosecution complaints or chargesheets in FY26, compared to 457 during the previous financial year. Meanwhile, the number of Enforcement Case Information Reports (ECIRs) increased by 39%, reaching 1,080 cases in FY26 against 775 registered during FY25.
The move is likely to intensify the political debate surrounding the functioning of the ED. Opposition parties have repeatedly accused the BJP-led Union government of “misusing” central agencies such as the ED and the Income Tax Department to pressure opposition leaders and governments.
Last year, the Union government informed Parliament that out of more than 190 ED cases involving political leaders over the past decade, only two had resulted in convictions.
Fresh criticism emerged this week after ED officials carried out searches at the residence of former Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan. Several opposition leaders described the raids as another instance of the “misuse of central agencies” against non-BJP parties.
Earlier this year, the ED and the Income Tax Department also conducted operations against leaders of the Aam Aadmi Party and the All India Trinamool Congress. In West Bengal, ahead of the Assembly elections, the ED reportedly carried out around 20 operations involving searches, arrests, property attachments and interrogations across multiple cases.
Similar searches were conducted in Kerala in January 2026 at 21 locations linked to a Sabarimala-related gold misappropriation case as the state prepared for elections.
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