Sabarimala Gold Theft Case: ED Raids Over 20 Locations In Kerala, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu

The Supreme Court is taking up on Tuesday (January 20, 2026) for hearing separate pleas filed by the States of Tamil Nadu and Kerala asking the same question — is the Directorate of Enforcement (ED) a “juristic person”.

A ‘juristic’ person is a legal fiction by which a non-human, like an incorporated company, is recognised to have rights, duties, sue or be sued like a human being.

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The question cropped up in the Kerala High Court when the ED filed a writ petition under Article 226 of the Constitution seeking the enforcement of its rights.