Law Notify, January 15, 2026 : The Enforcement Directorate has approached the Jharkhand High Court seeking a Central Bureau of Investigation inquiry into the police action at its Ranchi zonal office earlier today. The petition is listed for hearing tomorrow.
Jharkhand Police had reached the ED office following an FIR registered at the airport police station on the complaint of a Public Health Engineering Department employee. The FIR relates to an ongoing money laundering investigation being handled by the central agency.
The incident has triggered a political row, with the Bharatiya Janata Party calling the police presence at the ED office an attack on the autonomy of a central investigating agency. Speaking to reporters, Union Minister of State for Defence and Ranchi MP Sanjay Seth said the swift police action on a complaint filed by an accused in a multi-crore scam, who had already spent around 18 months in jail, undermines the constitutional framework.
Leader of the Opposition in Jharkhand, Babulal Marandi, alleged that the state government is attempting to protect those named in the case, further escalating tensions between the state administration and central agencies.
