ED Attaches Punjab MLA Sukhpal Khaira’s Chandigarh Home in Money Laundering Case
Chandigarh: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has attached the Chandigarh residence of Punjab Congress MLA Sukhpal Singh Khaira, valued at ₹3.82 crore, as part of its ongoing investigation into a money laundering case linked to drug trafficking. The probe agency alleges that Khaira benefitted from illicit funds generated by an international drug syndicate operated by his close associate, Gurdev Singh, and his overseas partners.
In an official statement, the ED said, “The residential house (House No. 6, Sector 5, Chandigarh) of Sukhpal Singh Khaira has been provisionally attached under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002, on March 8.” The agency claims that between 2014 and 2020, Khaira and his family’s expenses exceeded their known income by ₹3.82 crore, allegedly covered through cash payments made by Gurdev Singh.
Khaira, reacting to the development, dismissed the allegations as a “political witch hunt” orchestrated by the BJP and the Bhagwant Mann-led AAP government. He stated that he had received no official notice from the ED or any other government agency regarding the property attachment.
The case against Khaira originates from a 2015 Punjab Police FIR against Gurdev Singh and others. Gurdev was convicted in a drug trafficking case in 2017. The ED later accused Khaira of aiding an international drug smuggling network, providing shelter to key figures, and using illicit funds to finance his political campaigns.
Khaira was arrested by the ED in November 2021 but was granted bail by the Punjab and Haryana High Court in January 2022. In October 2023, the agency filed a chargesheet against him, detailing his alleged financial gains from drug-related activities. The Supreme Court, however, dismissed the ED’s plea to cancel his bail in January 2025.
Khaira, a three-time MLA, was previously associated with AAP before resigning in 2019 to form his own party, Punjab Ekta Party. He later rejoined Congress and won the 2022 assembly election from Bholath. The Punjab government had earlier informed the Supreme Court that it would not proceed with the trial against him in the 2015 drug case for the time being.
News Source : Information for this article was gathered from a variety of reliable news outlets.
