ED To Retract Press Release On FIITJEE After Delhi High Court Questions Evidence Base

New Delhi: The Delhi High Court has recorded that the Enforcement Directorate (ED) has consented to retract a press note issued on April 26, in the year 2025, which levelled serious charges against coaching institute FIITJEE and several of its directors and officers. The court observed during proceedings on a plea filed by FIITJEE contesting that the release that followed searches at its Noida and Delhi offices as well as at the residences of certain directors and officers by the Lucknow Zonal Office of the agency.

During the hearing, FIITJEE urged before the bench that the communication was damaging and defamatory, built on unfounded presumptions rather than verifiable proof. According to the petitioners, the note relied on a so-called ‘Preliminary Analysis Report’, and they maintained that it did not exist. They further submitted that the publication breached a Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) office memorandum dated April 1, 2010, which lays down norms for public disclosures by investigative agencies.

Earlier, the court expressed a prima facie view when the matter was heard at length on March 18 that the press release appeared to run contrary to the MHA guidelines. The counsel representing the ED then requested time to obtain instructions on whether the agency wished to amend the note or allow the challenge to be decided on the merits. During the phase, although the agency maintained that the note was based on an initial assessment of seized material, it conceded in court that no such preliminary report had been prepared and could not substantiate the allegations at that stage.

Following the hearing, the central investigating agency sought further time to take instructions. On May 6, the High Court was informed that the ED had instructions to withdraw the press release unconditionally. The court took the submission on record, showing the judiciary’s emphasis on adherence to official protocols on public disclosures, even as investigations proceed. 

Meanwhile, the withdrawal marked relief for FIITJEE from allegations that it claimed lacked evidential backing. Further details regarding the issue are awaited.