Punjab Police calls ED evidence ‘Illegible and Incomplete’, seeks original records
Babushahi Bureau
Chandigarh, September 2, 2026: The ongoing dispute between the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and Punjab Police over alleged irregularities in transfers and postings has intensified, with the Punjab Police maintaining that parts of the material shared by the central agency were illegible, incomplete or insufficient to establish the identity and context of the evidence.
According to the Punjab Police communication, the ED’s Jalandhar Zonal Office had shared material with the Bureau of Investigation (BoI) on July 30, 2026, under Section 66(2) of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). The material reportedly included chats, screenshots and other documents that the ED considered relevant to its investigation.
However, in a communication dated August 28, the Punjab Police sought additional information and clarification from the ED. The letter, issued by the AIG/Investigation on behalf of the Director, Bureau of Investigation, reportedly pointed out that several portions of the material supplied as part of the annexures were either illegible, unreadable or obscured.
The police maintained that because of the condition of some of the documents, the identities of persons involved, the context of conversations and the sequence of events could not be reliably established.
The Punjab Police also referred to requirements concerning electronic evidence under Section 63 of the Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam, 2023. It sought material that could establish the authenticity and integrity of the electronic records, including details relating to their retrieval and preservation.
As part of the request, the ED was asked to send a designated officer familiar with the case to the Punjab Police Headquarters in Chandigarh on September 1 at 11 am. The officer was asked to bring complete and legible copies of the relevant chats and screenshots along with metadata, search and seizure memos, panchnamas, recovery inventories, original digital data and statements of witnesses and persons examined during the investigation.
The police also sought any material that could be exculpatory, saying that a comprehensive assessment of all relevant evidence was necessary before proceeding with criminal action.
According to the Punjab Police version, the ED officials did not appear at the scheduled meeting with the requested original records. The police maintained that its request was intended to ensure that any investigation or subsequent legal proceedings were based on complete, verifiable and properly authenticated material.
The development comes amid a larger disagreement between the two agencies over the registration of an FIR based on material allegedly shared by the ED.
The ED, meanwhile, has maintained that it had already supplied sufficient information to the Punjab Police under Section 66(2) of the PMLA. In a subsequent communication dated August 31, the agency said it had supplemented the earlier material with legible copies of chats and screenshots, a certificate under Section 63 of the Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam concerning electronic records, and the statement of Nitin Gohal recorded under the PMLA.
The ED has also urged Punjab Police to register an FIR, arguing that the material disclosed cognisable offences and that further delay could create the possibility of tampering with or destruction of evidence.
The case relates to allegations of an organised network involving transfers and postings of government officials and other alleged activities. The ED’s communications have referred to Nitin Gohal and others and alleged that influence was exercised in government functioning.