Fresh Questions Over ED’s Political Targeting: 193 Cases, Just Two Convictions

In March 2025, the Union government told Parliament that over the last ten years, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) registered 193 cases against politicians, including serving and former MPs, MLAs and local administrators. However, of these, just two cases resulted in convictions. 

This low conviction rate, barely over 1 per cent, has renewed the debate over whether ED’s growing caseload reflects genuine anti-corruption efforts, or a pattern of politically motivated investigations targeting  Opposition leaders. 

Cases Against CMs, Former CMs, Key Leaders 

The ED on December 1 issued show-cause notices to Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and senior state officials over alleged forex violations linked to the 2019 KIIFB masala bond issuance. The bonds, rupee-denominated and floated abroad, aimed to raise Rs 50,000 crore for infrastructure projects. ED’s action follows a three-year probe into suspected fund diversion and regulatory breaches. Officials have yet to respond publicly. The move highlights increased scrutiny over state-level foreign financing and adherence to RBI and FEMA guidelines.

Arvind Kejriwal, former Chief Minister of Delhi and leader of the Aam Aadmi Party, was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate in March 2024 in connection with the Delhi excise policy case, a money-laundering investigation linked to alleged irregularities in the now-scrapped liquor policy. 

Former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister and Samajwadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav remains under ED and CBI scrutiny over allegations related to the Rs 1,400-crore Gomti Riverfront Project, illegal sand-mining licences and associated money-laundering concerns. 

Leader of opposition Rahul Gandhi is currently under investigation by ED in the National Herald case, which alleges that he and others used a company called Young Indian to illegally acquire vast properties of Associated Journals Ltd (AJL), once owned by the party. According to the ED, the acquisition involved converting a large loan into shares and transferring nearly Rs 2,000 crore worth of AJL assets to Young Indian for a nominal sum, in an alleged scheme of criminal conspiracy and money-laundering.

Senior Congress leader and former Union Finance Minister P. Chidambaram remains under ED investigation in the INX Media and Aircel-Maxis cases. He was previously arrested by the agency in the INX Media matter and continues to face scrutiny over alleged irregular foreign investment clearances.

Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut is being probed in a money-laundering case linked to the Patra Chawl redevelopment project in Mumbai’s Goregaon area. The ED is examining allegations of financial irregularities involving the project, including transactions connected to Raut and his wife.

In Maharashtra, senior NCP leader and deputy CM Ajit Pawar is under ED investigation in a money-laundering case involving members of his family. The agency has alleged diversion of funds into several benami properties, some of which have recently been attached.

Former Jammu & Kashmir Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah is under ED probe in a case related to alleged irregularities amounting to Rs 43 crore in the Jammu and Kashmir Cricket Association. The alleged offences occurred during his tenure as association president.

Karnataka Congress chief D.K. Shivakumar also continues to face an ED investigation in a money-laundering case. He was arrested by the agency in 2019 after multiple questioning sessions and is now out on bail. The case stems from an earlier Income Tax Department chargesheet alleging tax evasion and hawala transactions.

In Jharkhand, former Chief Minister Hemant Soren of the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate in January 2024 in connection with an alleged land-scam and money-laundering case; he was later granted bail.

The agency is also investigating TMC leader Abhishek Banerjee in connection with a major school teacher recruitment scam in West Bengal, linking him to Leaps and Bounds Pvt Ltd, allegedly used to launder crores of rupees. The probe covers alleged irregularities between 2014 and 2021, with other accused, including former officials, arrested and assets worth over Rs 126 crore attached. 

In November 2025, a 15-party United Opposition Forum in Assam, asserted that these were manifestations that the BJP is using the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and ED as a "weapon" to control its political rivals. Addressing a press conference by the Forum here, Assam Trinamool Congress chief Ripun Bora said that the "CBI and ED are among the two most important autonomous investigating agencies of the country. But unfortunately, under the BJP-led government since 2014, these are being used by the BJP as puppets and as weapons to control political rivals." Besides TMC, other parties in the Forum include the Congress, NCP, Assam Jatiya Parishad, CPI, CPI(M) and the Raijor Dal.

Bora claimed that "95 per cent of cases taken up by these two probe agencies between 2019 to 2023 during the BJP-led regime were against leaders of opposition political parties."

What The 193-Case Data Shows, And What It Doesn’t

According to data presented by the Ministry of Finance in March 2025, 138 of the Enforcement Directorate’s cases against serving and former MPs, MLAs and political functionaries were filed between 2019 and 2024, reflecting a sharp rise during the government’s second term. 

The highest annual spike came in 2022–23, when 32 cases were registered. The Ministry also clarified that it does not keep any breakdown of these cases by political party, state, or whether the individuals involved belonged to the ruling or opposition benches. 

Of the two convictions secured so far, both pertain to former ministers from Jharkhand, who were found guilty under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act in an illegal-mining case linked to a former chief minister.

The two positive verdicts out of 193 registered cases have come from cases dating back to the erstwhile regime in Jharkhand; none involve recent high-profile leaders. Some of the factors leading to such low conviction rates: long, drawn-out investigations, delays in charge-sheet filing, complex money-laundering and asset-seizure cases under the PMLA; and difficulties in substantiating paper trails or financial wrongdoing to the satisfaction of courts. 

This selective spotlight has triggered reactions from opposition parties, many of whom accuse the ruling dispensation of weaponising central agencies for political ends, using the ED as a tool to intimidate rivals, suppress dissent, or influence electoral outcomes.