In a major administrative reform, the Government of India has approved a comprehensive revision in the cadre structure of the Directorate of Enforcement (ED), significantly enhancing manpower across its Executive, Legal, and Adjudication wings. The restructuring is aimed at strengthening the agency’s operational capabilities amid increasing responsibilities related to financial crimes, money laundering investigations, and economic offences.
Under the revised Executive Cadre structure, the number of posts for Director and Special Director of Enforcement remains unchanged at one and seven respectively. However, the sanctioned strength of Additional Directors has been more than doubled from 10 to 24, while the number of Joint Directors has increased from 28 to 49.
The expansion is even more significant at the middle and lower administrative levels. The number of Deputy Directors has risen from 148 to 267, while Assistant Director posts have been increased from 255 to 531. Similarly, the strength of Enforcement Officers has gone up from 355 to 606, and Assistant Enforcement Officers from 425 to 803.
The Legal Cadre has also witnessed substantial strengthening. Posts of Additional Directors (Prosecution) have increased from one to seven. The number of Deputy Legal Advisers has been revised from seven to 18, while Assistant Legal Adviser posts have doubled from 18 to 36.
In the Adjudication Wing, the post of Special Director (Adjudication) remains unchanged at one. However, the revised structure now includes two Additional Directors, three Joint Directors, five Deputy Directors, and 10 Assistant Directors, significantly improving the adjudication mechanism within the agency.
The revised ED cadre structure is being viewed as a major step towards boosting the agency’s investigation, prosecution, and adjudication capabilities in handling complex economic offences and financial fraud cases across the country.