Chandigarh: The hearing over the Enforcement Directorate’s (ED) raids in Punjab and Chandigarh took place in the Punjab and Haryana High Court on Thursday, with the state government questioning the duration and manner of the searches.
During the hearing, the government said the searches continued for more than 50 hours and that officials had to sleep on mattresses borrowed for the purpose at their offices. It questioned whether such an exercise was consistent with a democratic framework and described the matter as one involving a central agency and the state.
Appearing for the ED were Additional Solicitor General Satyapal Jain and senior advocate Dheeraj Jain. The Punjab government had filed its petition in the High Court late on Wednesday night.
The ED searches in Punjab and Chandigarh ended about an hour before the hearing. After more than 50 hours, the teams left the Greater Mohali Area Development Authority (GMADA) headquarters in Mohali in five to six vehicles.
The teams took several documents with them. The ED has not yet officially disclosed what was recovered during the searches. However, agency sources cited in the report claimed that around ₹2.5 crore in cash, 1.25kg of gold and silver, and some land documents were recovered from the residence of a Punjab IAS officer.
The ED had launched searches at several locations in Punjab and Chandigarh on Tuesday, and the operation continued thereafter. On Wednesday, the agency also searched the Ludhiana residence of the nephew of Punjab minister Hardeep Singh Mundian.
Later that night, an ED team also reached the Chandigarh residence of former Delhi minister Satyendar Jain.
Following the developments, the Punjab government approached the High Court late Wednesday night. On Thursday, Aam Aadmi Party workers also staged a protest outside the GMADA office.
