The Congress party strongly criticized the Modi government after the Supreme Court advised the Enforcement Directorate (ED) to avoid creating fear. The party urged the government to respect the court’s remarks and cease wasting resources on targeting political rivals with baseless charges. Jairam Ramesh, Congress general secretary, emphasized that the ED is an Enforcement Directorate, not an Elimination Department meant for eliminating political opponents.
Ramesh further stated that the Modi government should take the Supreme Court’s advice seriously and refrain from misusing government resources to harass political adversaries through unfounded accusations.
The Congress leader’s comments followed allegations made by the Chhattisgarh government, which accused the ED of acting recklessly and attempting to implicate Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel in a money laundering case related to an alleged Rs 2,000-crore liquor scam in the state. The Chhattisgarh government informed the bench of Justices S. K. Kaul and A. Amanullah that several officials from the state excise department had reported being threatened by the ED, along with their family members, and that the agency was aiming to implicate the Chief Minister.
According to the state government, the affected officers have expressed their unwillingness to continue working in the department due to the ED’s actions.
Kapil Sibal, senior advocate representing the Chhattisgarh government, highlighted the ED’s alleged misconduct, stating that the agency was intimidating excise officers. He referred to the situation as shocking and suggested that the ED’s actions were prompted by the upcoming elections.
In response to the accusations, Additional Solicitor General S. V. Raju, representing the ED, clarified that the agency was investigating a scam in the state. The bench remarked that even a legitimate cause becomes suspect when such behavior is displayed, and emphasized that an atmosphere of fear should not be created.
