ED attaches Chandigarh house of Cong MLA Sukhpal Khaira

In a post on X, the ED stated, “ED, Hqrs. Office has provisionally attached Proceeds of Crime (POC) to the extent of Rs. 3.82 crore in the form of an immovable property i.e. Residential House (located at House No 6, Sector 5, Chandigarh) of Sukhpal Singh Khaira, the then MLA from Punjab on 08.03.2025 under the provisions of PMLA, 2002.”

Reacting to the development, Khaira said he learned about the attachment through media reports and had not received any prior notice from the ED. He criticised the agency for making the information public before formally notifying him, calling it an act of “character assassination.”

“I’ve learned through the media that the ED has attached my Chandigarh residence, which I have owned for decades, as part of their PMLA case against me. Sharing such sub-judice information on X before issuing me a formal notice shows that they are more interested in a media trial and character assassination rather than actual judicial proceedings,” Khaira posted on X.

He further alleged political vendetta, stating, “I have been facing an extreme political witch-hunt by both @BJP4India & @BhagwantMann’s government for the last few years. I vow to continue my fight against their erroneous policies, regardless of their worst actions.”

Khaira was arrested by the ED in November 2021 in connection with the money laundering probe and spent time in custody before being granted bail in 2022. The ED’s chargesheet, filed in January 2022, claimed that Khaira received funds linked to drug-related activities, a charge he and his family have consistently denied. The agency cited alleged phone records and statements from convicted individuals like Gurdev Singh to build its case.

Parallelly, Khaira faced a related drug case under the NDPS Act and was arrested by Punjab Police in September 2023. The Supreme Court quashed the summons against him in this case in February 2023, offering some relief. He was granted bail in January 2024 by the Punjab and Haryana High Court, which noted that the evidence against him was “sketchy and inconclusive.” He also secured bail in a separate criminal intimidation case from a Kapurthala court the same month.

The ED’s recent attachment of his property indicates that the case against him remains active.

Meanwhile, Punjab Congress leaders rallied behind Khaira, calling the ED’s action politically motivated.

Leader of Opposition Partap Bajwa linked the move to a broader BJP strategy, saying, “The BJP is scared of Congress’ rising graph in Punjab. The ED’s action against Khaira is similar to the raid on AICC General Secretary and Punjab in-charge Bhupesh Baghel. These attempts to fix opponents through central agencies will not deter us; we will fight back even stronger.”

State Congress president Amarinder Singh Raja Warring also condemned the ED, calling it a “political tool” of the BJP. “Before every election, the BJP weaponises the ED to target its opponents. From @bhupeshbaghel Ji to @SukhpalKhaira Ji, the BJP’s vendetta politics is clear. Attaching Khaira Ji’s decades-old house is yet another desperate move. We stand firmly with our leaders and will never bow to such pressure,” he posted on X.

Gurdaspur MP and former Punjab Deputy Chief Minister Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa questioned the ED’s rationale, asking how a house built in 1990 could be linked to a case from 2015.

“The agencies first raided Bhupesh Baghel’s house, and now they are trying to suppress the voice of MLA Sukhpal Khaira. But just like they found nothing at Baghel ji’s residence, they will return empty-handed from Khaira Sahab’s case too. Your ‘Operation Opposition’ cannot scare Punjab Congress,” he wrote on X.