PCA Land Row: ED submits status report to HC after preliminary enquiry into alleged money laundering
Babushahi Bureau
Chandigarh, September 21, 2026: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has completed a preliminary enquiry into alleged money laundering linked to land purchases by the Punjab Cricket Association (PCA) in Bathinda and Amritsar and submitted its status report to the Punjab and Haryana High Court in a sealed cover.
The development comes in a petition filed by former Ranji player Rakesh Handa, who has alleged financial and procedural irregularities in the PCA’s purchase of land in the two districts. The High Court had earlier issued notices to the PCA, ED and other respondents in the matter.
Senior Advocate Dheeraj Jain, appearing for the ED, informed the High Court that the preliminary enquiry had been conducted and presented the status report in a sealed cover.
However, the High Court did not peruse the report during the hearing. The court directed the ED to file it with the Registry along with an appropriate affidavit. The contents and findings of the report have therefore not been made public through the latest proceedings.
Respondents object to report being taken up
Senior Advocates Vinod Ghai, Puneet Bali and Akshay Bhan, appearing for PCA office-bearers and other respondents, objected to the status report being taken up at this stage.
They requested the court to first hear their objections regarding the maintainability of Handa’s petition before proceeding with other issues.
The matter has now been adjourned to October 13, 2026.
What are the allegations in the case?
The proceedings stem from Handa’s petition concerning alleged irregularities in PCA land purchases in Bathinda and Amritsar.
In earlier proceedings, Handa alleged that land was purchased at substantially higher rates than the prices at which it had allegedly been acquired from farmers, and that required approvals and procedures were not followed.
An earlier report on the petition stated that the allegations related to around 18.5 acres of land in Bathinda and 19.5 acres in Amritsar. Handa had also sought investigations by the ED and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) into the alleged transactions.
These allegations remain part of Handa’s petition and have not been established by the court.
Handa’s complaint and membership dispute
The High Court’s August 10 proceedings also recorded that Handa had earlier filed a complaint before the PCA Ombudsman alleging financial irregularities. The complaint was dismissed by the Ombudsman on March 10, 2026, after his PCA membership had been terminated.
The court further recorded that Handa’s life membership was subsequently terminated by the PCA Apex Council on May 21, 2026.
Handa has challenged the decision, alleging that he was not given an opportunity of being heard before the termination.
The PCA’s Ombudsman records also list proceedings involving Handa and PCA office-bearers.
ED report remains sealed
While the ED has now submitted its status report following the preliminary enquiry, the High Court has not yet examined its contents in open proceedings.
Therefore, any conclusion about whether the alleged transactions involved money laundering or other violations would be premature until the report is considered by the court or its contents are otherwise officially made public.
The case will next come up before the Punjab and Haryana High Court on October 13, 2026.