The Jharkhand High Court, on January 16, 2026, made a significant observation, stating that the state police's recent raid on the Enforcement Directorate (ED) office in Ranchi prima facie appeared 'pre-planned'. This ruling came during the hearing of a writ petition filed by the ED, which challenged the police action and sought a CBI probe into the incident. The court, presided over by Justice Sanjay Kumar Dwivedi, granted interim relief to the ED officials by staying further police proceedings arising from an FIR lodged against them. This FIR was filed by Santosh Kumar, an employee of the state drinking water and sanitation department, who accused ED officials of assault and harassment during an interrogation. The ED, however, alleged that Kumar inflicted self-injuries to implicate the agency officials and contended that the police action was a deliberate attempt to obstruct its ongoing money-laundering investigations, including a case linked to an alleged ₹23 crore scam. Furthermore, the High Court issued a directive to the Union Home Secretary, ordering the immediate deployment of central paramilitary forces such as the BSF, CISF, or any other suitable force, to ensure the security of the ED's Ranchi Zonal Office and its officers. The Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), Ranchi, was also instructed to ensure adequate security, with the court making it clear that responsibility would be fixed in case of any untoward incident. The court also mandated the preservation of all CCTV footage related to the incident at the ED premises. This development underscores a growing friction between state and central investigative agencies, drawing considerable attention in India's political and legal spheres.