Chandigarh, September 24, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
The Punjab government has approached the Punjab and Haryana High Court against the ongoing Enforcement Directorate (ED) search and seizure operations at the Greater Mohali Area Development Authority (GMADA) and other locations, prompting the court to appoint a senior-rank warrant officer to monitor the proceedings.
The matter came up for an urgent hearing before Justice Sanjay Vashisth late Wednesday night, with proceedings continuing past 1 a.m. The High Court authorised the warrant officer to visit the search locations at any time and directed him to submit a status report by 2 p.m. on Thursday.
During the hearing, the court was informed that ED search and seizure operations were underway and that senior-ranking Punjab government officials had allegedly been detained. The state also submitted that the ongoing operations had brought government functioning to a standstill.
The court directed the Chandigarh Director General of Police and the Senior Superintendent of Police, Mohali, to make necessary security arrangements for the warrant officer.
The ED searches, conducted under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), began at the GMADA headquarters in Mohali on Tuesday and were subsequently extended to locations across Punjab, Chandigarh, Panchkula and Delhi.
The agency is probing alleged irregularities relating to land acquisition, changes in land use and concessions allegedly extended to private real estate entities. The ED has alleged that the suspected undue benefits to private entities and corresponding loss to the exchequer could exceed Rs 100 crore. The searches have also covered premises linked to Tirupati Infraprojects Pvt Ltd and associated companies.
According to information attributed to the ED, the investigation includes scrutiny of records concerning land acquired by GMADA, changes in land use and dues payable to the authority. The agency is also examining alleged financial irregularities involving private entities.
The ED action has triggered a political confrontation between the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in Punjab and the BJP-led Centre.
The AAP has accused the Centre of using investigative agencies to put pressure on Punjab officials and disrupt the functioning of the state government. These allegations have not been established by the court.
On Wednesday, the party alleged that the BJP had lost political ground in Punjab and was using central agencies to “intimidate Punjabis” and AAP leaders. It also claimed that the ED action could create hurdles for GMADA and welfare initiatives of the Bhagwant Mann government, including the Mawan Dheeyan Satkar Yojna.
“Central agencies cannot manufacture political support for Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP in Punjab,” the AAP said.
The party also alleged that attempts were being made to create administrative obstacles to the state government’s welfare programmes. It said neither raids nor what it described as intimidation would weaken its resolve to oppose such actions.
The High Court’s appointment of the warrant officer comes as the ED searches continue, with the court now set to receive a status report on the operations by 2 p.m. Thursday.
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