Since 2014, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) has started investigations into 6,444 money laundering cases, the government shared with Parliament on Monday, 8th December. Out of 56 cases that have been decided based on their merits, courts convicted 53, involving 121 people. This means the conviction rate for these cases is about 95%.
ED initiated 6,444 cases since 2014; secured convictions in 53 out of 56 on merits: Union Finance Ministry informed the parliament on Dec 8
— Bar and Bench (@barandbench) December 8, 2025
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The Finance Ministry’s Minister of State, Pankaj Chaudhary, replied to a question in the Lok Sabha, saying that special courts set up under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) delivered these 56 judgments from April 2014 to November 2025. Of these, 53 resulted in convictions.
Looking at the number of cases filed, the ED registered 6,444 cases under the PMLA since 2014. The Income Tax Department (ITD) also filed 13,877 prosecution cases during the same period.
The number of new cases filed each year has varied but has generally increased. The ED saw a big jump in Enforcement Case Information Reports (ECIR), which went from just 181 in 2014-15 to a peak of 1,116 cases in 2021-22. The ITD had its highest number of cases filed in 2017-18 with 4,527, compared to 669 in 2014-15.
Search and seizure operations have also grown significantly. The ED carried out 11,106 searches from 2014-15 to November 2025. This number rose sharply from only 46 searches in 2014-15 to 2,600 in 2023-24, and 2,267 searches up to November 2025. The ITD conducted 9,657 group searches during the same period, peaking at 1,437 in 2024-25.
When it comes to moving cases to court, the ED has been active. They have filed 2,416 prosecution complaints, which include additional ones, against a total of 16,404 people and entities.
The high conviction rate shows that courts have been decisive. Out of 56 cases decided on merit, 53 resulted in convictions, confirming about 95% conviction rate for these cases, with 121 people convicted.
In comparison, the ITD had 522 convictions, 963 acquittals, and 3,345 withdrawals of cases since 2014-15. It’s important to note that the outcomes of these cases, whether conviction, acquittal, or withdrawal, may relate to cases filed in different years, so the numbers don’t directly match cases filed each year.
This update reflects the government’s focus on cracking down on money laundering and related financial crimes over the last decade.
