The Punjab and Haryana High Court has designated a warrant officer to oversee search operations conducted by the Enforcement Directorate across Punjab, mandating the submission of an inspection report by 2 p.m. on Thursday.
The judicial directive followed an urgent petition moved by the Punjab government late Wednesday night seeking immediate court intervention against the ongoing surveys and searches by the central agency.
Searches Cover State Bureaucracy And Political Figures
The high court’s intervention comes amid widening enforcement activity that began on Tuesday. Investigators conducted searches at the headquarters of the Greater Mohali Area Development Authority, alongside the premises of senior IAS officer Vikas Garg, who serves as the Principal Secretary for Housing and Urban Development, and a Delhi-headquartered property firm.
The operations expanded further on Wednesday. According to sources, agency officials conducted a search at a Sector 39 property in Chandigarh frequently used by former Delhi cabinet minister Satyendar Jain. As Jain was not on the premises, officials forced entry through locked doors. Sources added that enforcement sleuths simultaneously searched the Sahnewal residence of Punjab Cabinet Minister Hardeep Singh Mundian’s nephew in Ludhiana district.
Scrutiny Focuses On Land Dues And Revenue Losses
The ongoing money laundering inquiry focuses on real estate developer Tirupati Infraprojects, its associate firms, and company executives. The agency is investigating the acquisition of two high-value commercial auction plots in Mohali from the development authority, followed by the grant of significant financial waivers on outstanding statutory dues.
Investigators estimate that these concessions generated wrongful profits for the developers while inflicting a loss exceeding Rs 100 crore on the Punjab exchequer. A consultancy firm suspected of acting as an intermediary in the transactions was also searched.
The financial probe extends to broader administrative actions within the development authority, including the allotment processes and waivers granted to commercial builders regarding interest payments and external development charges.
Tirupati Infraprojects was previously under joint investigation by both the Enforcement Directorate and the Central Bureau of Investigation in 2023 concerning an alleged bank loan fraud amounting to Rs 290 crore.
Governing Party Alleges Political Retaliation
The raids prompted sharp pushback from Punjab’s ruling Aam Aadmi Party, which issued a statement on Wednesday characterizing the operation as an attempt by the Bharatiya Janata Party to use central enforcement bodies to intimidate regional leaders and residents after losing electoral influence in the state.
The party asserted that the operations were designed to stall the day-to-day work of the development authority and undermine the welfare initiatives run by Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann’s administration, adding that federal investigative actions would fail to generate political backing for Prime Minister Narendra Modi or the BJP in Punjab.
