Congress Criticizes ED as ‘BJP’s Front Organization’ Over Just 2 Convictions in 193 Political Cases Since 2015

The Congress party has criticized the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led Union government for reportedly utilizing central investigative agencies to intimidate its political adversaries. The party contended that the Modi administration issues summons from the Enforcement Directorate (ED) to opposition leaders each time elections are on the horizon.

A Congress spokesperson accused PM Modi of transforming the ED into a ‘front’ for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). “As elections draw near, the ED has been weaponized against the opposition,” Shrinate stated in a post on X.

The spokesperson asserted that the ED is being exploited to intimidate political rivals.

“We have consistently stated this, and now the Modi government is corroborating it with statistics,” the Congress leader remarked.

The Union Minister of State for Finance stated in a written response to an inquiry in the Rajya Sabha that the federal anti-money laundering agency has filed cases against politicians, including current and past MPs, MLAs, and MLCs, as well as individuals associated with political parties, though data on a state-wise basis is not maintained.

Chaudhary mentioned that the ED filed 193 cases against this category of individuals between April 2015 and February 2025.

The minister added that two cases—one during the fiscal year 2016-17 and another in 2019-20—resulted in convictions, and there were no acquittals. He did not specify the names of the cases or the accused in his statement.

Both Convictions from Jharkhand

Former Jharkhand minister Hari Narayan Rai received a sentence of seven years of rigorous imprisonment and was fined ₹5 lakh under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) in 2017, while another former minister from the state, Anosh Ekka, was sentenced to seven years’ rigorous imprisonment and imposed a fine of ₹2 crore in 2020.

The ED probed both individuals as part of a money-laundering investigation involving former Jharkhand chief minister Madhu Koda. It remains unclear whether the two convicted politicians have lodged appeals against the sentences imposed by special PMLA courts in Ranchi.

The highest number of cases against former and current legislators was filed by the ED in the fiscal year 2022-23, with a total of 32 cases.

The ED investigates financial crimes under two criminal laws—the PMLA and the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA)—in addition to initiating investigations under the civil provisions of the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA).

“The ED takes on cases for investigation based on credible evidence/material and does not differentiate cases based on political affiliations, religion, or otherwise,” the minister stated in his response.

“Moreover, the ED’s actions are always subject to judicial review,” he added.

The agency is accountable to various judicial bodies, including the Adjudicating Authority and Appellate Tribunal of the PMLA, special courts, high courts, and the Supreme Court regarding its actions undertaken in executing the PMLA, FEMA, and FEOA, as said by Chaudhary.

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) is the law enforcement and economic intelligence agency of the Government of India, responsible for enforcing economic laws and tackling financial crimes. The ED operates under the Department of Revenue of the government.