The Central government has approved a comprehensive restructuring of the Directorate of Enforcement (ED), significantly expanding its sanctioned strength to enhance the agency’s ability to combat financial crimes and money laundering.
The decision was conveyed through a formal sanction order from the Department of Revenue under the Ministry of Finance. The restructuring covers multiple cadres, including executive, legal, adjudication, systems, ministerial, security, and support staff, aimed at boosting operational efficiency as the agency deals with a growing number of complex investigations.
In the executive cadre, the government has substantially increased several key positions. The number of Additional Directors of Enforcement will rise from 10 to 24, while Joint Directors will increase from 28 to 49. Deputy Directors will go up from 148 to 267 and Assistant Directors from 255 to 531. Enforcement Officers will expand from 355 to 606, and Assistant Enforcement Officers from 425 to 803.
The top positions of Director (one post) and Special Director (seven posts) will remain unchanged. The legal wing will also see notable strengthening. Additional Directors (Prosecution) will increase from one to seven, Deputy Legal Advisers from seven to 18, and Assistant Legal Advisers from 18 to 36.
To improve adjudication processes under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), several new posts have been introduced. These include two Additional Directors (Adjudication), three Joint Directors, five Deputy Directors, and ten Assistant Directors in the adjudication wing. The post of Special Director (Adjudication) will continue to remain at one.
The restructuring also includes expansions in ministerial staff such as Superintendents and Assistants, security personnel with Senior Sepoys increasing from 209 to 273, and various support roles including Senior Private Secretaries and Stenographers.
Among support staff, the number of Senior Private Secretaries will increase from one to four, and Stenographer Grade-I posts from 20 to 44. Other positions, including Private Secretaries, Stenographer Grade-II, drivers and multi-tasking staff, largely remain unchanged. Certain technical and systems positions have received pay level revisions without any change in their numbers.
The additional financial requirement for the expanded workforce will be met from the ED’s existing budget. Officials believe that the increase, especially in mid-level executive and legal positions, will allow the agency to handle more cases efficiently, reduce pendency, and strengthen prosecution efforts.
This major overhaul comes at a time when the Enforcement Directorate is managing a heavy caseload of high-profile financial cases, with expectations that the enhanced manpower will lead to faster investigations, quicker property attachments, and improved conviction rates.
