ED rejects Punjab Police request for more case details, says all evidence already shared
Babushahi Bureau
Chandigarh, September 2, 2026: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has declined a request from the Punjab Police seeking additional case details and investigation material in connection with the agency’s recommendation for registration of an FIR against private individual Nitin Gohal and others.
In a two-page response sent to the Punjab Bureau of Investigation (BoI) on August 31, the ED maintained that the relevant information and material had already been formally shared with the Punjab Police under Section 66(2) of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
The agency said the material was provided through its communications dated July 30 and August 7, following what it described as a detailed examination, investigation and assessment of the available information and approval from the competent authority.
According to the ED, it shared the material only after reaching the conclusion that the information disclosed possible violations of laws administered by the agency.
The latest exchange has added another dimension to the dispute between the central agency and the Punjab Police over the registration of an FIR.
The ED has alleged that its investigation uncovered information relating to an alleged network involving police transfers, hawala transactions, land deals and cash payments. The agency has specifically alleged the involvement of Nitin Gohal in collecting requests for police transfers, facilitating access to pre-signed transfer orders, arranging land transactions and handling payments linked to travel and hotel expenses.
The ED has maintained that the material supplied to the state police warranted registration of an FIR and has questioned the delay in initiating criminal proceedings.
The agency’s August 31 response also comes against the backdrop of its earlier allegation that a representative who visited the Punjab Police on September 1 to deliver investigation reports was not provided an acknowledgement. The ED subsequently said the documents were formally sent by email.
The ED’s recommendation for an FIR emerged from its money-laundering investigation involving Ajay Sehgal and associates of M/s Indian Cooperative Housing Building Society. The probe concerns allegations that CLUs (Change of Land Use) were facilitated through government authorities for certain real estate firms.
The matter has also reached the Punjab and Haryana High Court, where a PIL seeking an independent probe into the allegations raised by the ED is scheduled to come up for hearing on September 3.
The ED has sought the High Court’s intervention over the alleged delay in registration of the FIR, while the Punjab side has maintained that the material supplied by the agency required clarification and proper examination before criminal proceedings could be initiated.