The Supreme Court on Thursday said that the Enforcement Directorate cannot “act like a crook” and must function within the four corners of the law, Live Law reported.

A bench comprising Justices Surya Kant, Ujjal Bhuyan and N Kotiswar Singh made the observation while hearing petitions seeking a review of its July 2022 verdict that upheld the agency’s powers of arrest, search and seizure under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act.

During the hearing on Thursday, Additional Solicitor General SV Raju contended that the agency was not under an obligation to supply a copy of the Enforcement Case Information Report – the ED’s equivalent of a first information report – to persons accused of money laundering.

Raju argued that in many cases, investigators face hurdles because the accused persons flee to places like the Cayman Islands, Live Law reported. “Crooks have a lot of wherewithal, whereas the poor Investigating Officer doesn’t,” he remarked.

However, Bhuyan said in response: “You can’t act like a crook, you have to act within the 4 corners of the law.”

The court took note of the Centre’s statement before Parliament last week that the Enforcement Directorate secured convictions in only eight out of the 5,892 money-laundering cases it investigated between January 2015 and June 2025 – a rate of 0.1%.

“We are equally concerned about the image of ED also,” the court said, according to the Hindustan Times. “At the end of five-six years of judicial custody, if people are acquitted, who will pay for this?”

CJI questions prolonged incarceration

In a separate case, Chief Justice BR Gavai also asked the Enforcement Directorate what its conviction rate was, and remarked that even if accused persons are not held guilty, they still remain behind bars for long periods of time, the Hindustan Times reported.

“Even if they are not convicted, you have been successful in sentencing them almost without a trial for years together,” Gavai remarked.

Solicitor General Tushar Mehta contended that the conviction rate was low because of flaws in the justice system and procedural inefficiencies. He claimed that the agency has returned money amounting to over Rs 23,000 crore to victims of financial crime, according to the Hindustan Times.

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