ED Withdraws FIITJEE Press Release, Admits 'Preliminary Analysis Report' It Cited Does Not Exist

New Delhi: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has withdrawn a press release related to FIITJEE, a coaching institute with over 70 branches, after admitting in court that a "Preliminary Analysis Report" cited in the document "did not exist".

A press release was issued by the central agency's Lucknow unit on April 26, 2025, after it conducted searches on FIITJEE executives and office premises in Noida and Ghaziabad. The release claimed that large-scale diversion of student fee money had taken place at the institute's various branches. It put Rs 206 crore as "proceeds of crime" recovered from the outfit.

It also claimed that a preliminary analysis of material seized from the senior executives, including its director, showed such diversion took place.

However, ED admitted in a March 18, 2026, hearing at the Delhi high court that it had no such analysis. Thereafter, it said that it would "seek instruction" on withdrawing that press release. In June, it finally withdrew the release and the court recorded that.

"Notably, despite claiming that the Press Release was based on preliminary analysis of seized material, the respondent admitted before the Hon’ble Court that no such Preliminary Analysis Report existed and failed to prima facie substantiate the allegations," FIITJEE said in a recent press note.

The searches on FITT JEE centres followed an FIR filed by the Delhi Police’s Economic Offences Wing based on complaints from parents, who claimed the institute's centres shut down suddenly after having taken fees from them, leaving them in the lurch.

The EOW complaint, from March 2025, became the basis for ED teams to search the residential premises of the institute's executives, including one of the directors, D.K. Goel. A few premises of FIITJEE in Gurgaon were also searched. Soon after these raids, the press release was issued.

FIITJEE submitted before the Delhi high court that the press release stated incorrect facts and that it also violated the instructions of an Office Memorandum of the Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India, which said the language of such notes had to be formal and factual and not emotional and "judgemental".

“The prima facie perusal of the press release would prima-facie indicate that judgmental aspersions are made. The Clause VII of the Office Memorandum dated 01.10.2010 clearly states that no opinionated and judgmental statements should be made by the police while briefing the media,” Delhi high court noted.

Subsequently, on May 6, 2026, the Delhi high court noted that counsel for the respondent had instructions to unconditionally withdraw the press release.

While the high court ruling is not on the merits of the ED's case against FIITJEE (of alleged money laundering), the agency's probe in this case comes under a cloud since it could not substantiate in court the basis for its initial allegations against the institute.

It is also unclear which provisions of the anti-money-laundering law were attracted by the coaching company. In April last year, ED had claimed that the institute collected Rs 206 crore from students but failed to provide educational services (due to a sudden reported closure of some of its centres).

“During the searches, several incriminating documents and digital devices were seized, indicating serious financial irregularities. The collected funds were allegedly diverted for personal and unauthorised use, while faculty salaries remained unpaid,” ED had said, as per a report in the Hindu. While these claims now stand withdrawn, FIITJEE had at the time claimed that the closure of centres was on account of those running some of its coaching units withdrawing without notice.

"We are not aware of any evidence, however slight, found by any police authority anywhere in India so far. We are perfect in our value system, and there is no financial irregularity at the company level. If any managing partner has cheated FIITJEE and parents, then it could be a subject matter of investigation," FIITJEE had told Times of India.

FIITJEE has since the crisis of 2025 moved to a franchisee-run model, away from the employee-based model.

After ED withdrew the press release in June 2026, FIITJEE said in a note: "The unconditional withdrawal of the impugned Press Release vindicates the consistent stand of FIITJEE and its Directors that the allegations were baseless and unsupported by evidence."

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