Comment on the recent criticism of the Enforcement Directorate in India. What can be done to remove its shortcomings?

The Enforcement Directorate’s callous style of operating was criticized harshly by a Mumbai special court recently, which is the most recent instance of how the political class abuses investigative institutions. The most recent critique of the ED demonstrates how government entities have been utilized to intimidate people.

Criticism:

• In line with other agencies like the Central Bureau of Investigation and the police, the newest criticism emphasises the political abuse of the ED. 
• The opposition and dissident voices have allegedly been unfairly targeted by the current government. 
• The Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) and ED are not the only instruments used to silence dissent, with punitive accusations against attorneys, activists, intellectuals, and journalists as well as the National Investigation Agency’s pursuit of critical academics. 
• It is done to intimidate anyone who disagrees with the governing regime by using the procedure as punishment when there is minimal likelihood of gaining an accused person’s conviction.
• The political class have a greater responsibility for upholding trust in institutions than the judiciary, despite the court’s crucial role in upholding faith in the integrity of the legal system. 
• The increasing loss of institutions’ political impartiality is reason for concern. 
• Long-term risks to democracy include the use of governmental resources as tools of coercion and extortion. This is something that all parties, whether in power or not, must remember.

Way forward:

The Central Bureau of Investigation was compared to a caged parrot by the nation’s highest court nine years prior. In the form of the ED, India can scarcely afford another one.