Two accounts of the same search are now before the Punjab and Haryana High Court, which has sought the Enforcement Directorate’s written response to the challenge to the GMADA Office Raid by the Punjab government and GMADA.
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Chandigarh: The Punjab and Haryana High Court on Wednesday issued notice to the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and the Union government on a petition by the Punjab government and the Greater Mohali Area Development Authority (GMADA). The petition challenges the ED’s search and seizure at the GMADA office under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002 (PMLA). A written response has been called for, and the matter will be heard next on October 28, 2026 [Greater Mohali Area Development Authority and Another v. Directorate of Enforcement and Others].
Chief Justice Ashwani Kumar Mishra and Justice Rohit Kapoor heard the matter. Senior Advocate Vikram Chaudhri appeared for GMADA and Additional Solicitor General Satya Pal Jain for the ED.
Where the case stands
The Court has issued notice to the ED and the Union of India, asked for a written response and fixed October 28, 2026. Everything alleged on either side is untested at this stage. The Court has expressed no view on the merits of the search, or on whether GMADA has the standing to challenge it.
What GMADA told the Court
Chaudhri called the search a “blatant abuse of provisions” of the PMLA. It was contended that senior officials were detained for two nights while it went on. The petitioners want the search authorisations quashed and the material taken returned, described as about 30 bags of documents along with computers, hard drives and servers.
What the ED told the Court
Jain told the Bench that ED officers did not detain anyone during the searches and that every step was taken as per law. The ED also questioned GMADA’s standing to bring the petition, an objection that goes to the maintainability of the challenge and is yet to be decided.
From habeas corpus to the search itself
The earlier habeas corpus phase ended when the officers were released. This petition shifts the fight to the legality of the search itself, and it puts two questions before the Court in turn: whether a State development authority can invoke the High Court’s jurisdiction against an ED search, and whether the search complied with the PMLA.
The ED’s written response, due before October 28, will show how the agency answers both the allegation of detention and the objection to GMADA’s standing.
Case Title: Greater Mohali Area Development Authority and Another v. Directorate of Enforcement and Others
Bench: Chief Justice Ashwani Kumar Mishra and Justice Rohit Kapoor, Punjab and Haryana High Court
Date of Order: October 7, 2026
Appearances: Senior Advocate Vikram Chaudhri (GMADA); Additional Solicitor General Satya Pal Jain (Enforcement Directorate)