The Ministry of Finance sanctioned the additional posts in an order issued on May 27. The move is expected to strengthen the operational and administrative capacity of the ED, which investigates Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) and Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA) cases. 

The additional posts cover executive, legal, adjudication, systems, ministerial, security, and support staff cadres. 

New Posts Across Cadres

The sharpest increase has been made in the executive cadre. The sanctioned strength of Deputy Directors has been raised from 148 to 267; Assistant Directors from 255 to 531; Enforcement Officers from 355 to 606; and Assistant Enforcement Officers from 425 to 803.

The number of Additional Directors of Enforcement will rise from 10 to 24, while Joint Directors will increase from 28 to 49. The posts of Director and Special Director remain unchanged at one and seven respectively.

In the legal cadre, the number of Additional Directors (Prosecution) has been increased from one to seven; Deputy Legal Advisers from seven to 18; and Assistant Legal Advisers from 18 to 36.

The adjudication wing, which currently has no sanctioned posts below the level of Special Director, will see an entirely new tier of officers. Additional Directors (Adjudication) will be created with a strength of two, Joint Directors at three, Deputy Directors at five and Assistant Directors at 10. The post of Special Director (Adjudication) remains unchanged at one, the order stated.

Under the ministerial cadre, the post of Internal Financial Advisor has been newly created. Assistant Directors (Official Language) will increase from three to six; Superintendents from 20 to 30; and Assistants from 57 to 65. The posts of Senior Translator, Upper Division Clerk, and Lower Division Clerk remain unchanged.

In the security cadre, the number of Senior Sepoys has been increased from 209 to 273, while Sepoys remain at 70. Among support staff, Senior Private Secretaries will rise from one to four and Stenographer Grade-I posts from 20 to 44.

Rising Caseload

The order stated that the expenditure for the expansion would be met from the ED’s sanctioned budget grant. It also said the expansion comes against the backdrop of a rising caseload of financial crimes and money laundering investigations handled by the agency.

Official data available on the ED’s website suggests that the number of cases and their complexities, including cybercrimes, Artificial Intelligence (AI) and cryptocurrency, and enforcement actions, makes things overwhelming for investigators.

The data also revealed that searches or raids conducted by the agency under the PMLA almost doubled to 2,892 during the 2025-26 financial year, while it also affected the “highest-ever” provisional attachment of assets in that year, representing a 171% increase in the value of attachments to ₹81,422 crore under 712 orders.

The agency issued 461 provisional attachment orders, freezing assets valued at ₹30,036 crore during 2025. ED raids doubled in FY2025-26, as compared to 1,491 in the previous financial year.