SupremeCourt – Hearing Set on ED Plea Against Bengal Government
SupremeCourt – The Supreme Court will on Tuesday take up a petition filed by the Enforcement Directorate alleging that officials of the West Bengal government, including Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, interfered with search operations carried out in Kolkata last month. The case arises from simultaneous searches conducted at the office of Indian Political Action Committee (I-PAC) and at the residence of its co-founder, Pratik Jain.
Bench to Examine ED’s Allegations
According to the court’s published cause list, the matter is scheduled before a bench comprising Justices Prashant Kumar Mishra and Sandeep Mehta. The Enforcement Directorate has urged the apex court to intervene, claiming that its lawful duties were obstructed during the January 8 operations.
Last week, the hearing was deferred after Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the central agency, requested additional time to submit a response to the affidavit filed by the West Bengal government. The bench granted the request and listed the matter for further consideration on February 10.
ED Seeks FIRs Against Senior State Officials
In its petition, the Enforcement Directorate has sought directions for the registration of criminal cases against Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, the state’s Director General of Police, and the Kolkata Police Commissioner. The agency has alleged that state authorities impeded its search proceedings at the premises linked to I-PAC and Pratik Jain.
The searches are understood to be connected to an ongoing probe under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act. However, the Trinamool Congress and its leadership are not named as accused in the alleged coal-related case that forms the backdrop of the investigation.
Chief Minister Rejects Claims of Obstruction
In a detailed counter affidavit submitted to the court, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has denied any wrongdoing. She stated that her presence at the Loudon Street residence of Pratik Jain and the I-PAC office in Bidhannagar was limited and purposeful.
According to her affidavit, she visited the premises after being informed that sensitive political data belonging to the All India Trinamool Congress was being accessed during the searches. She described the information as strategically significant for the party’s preparations for the 2026 West Bengal Legislative Assembly elections.
The affidavit maintains that she made a courteous request to the Enforcement Directorate officials present, asking permission to retrieve proprietary party data, electronic devices containing that information, and relevant printed documents. It further asserts that the officers did not object and allowed her to take certain materials.
Banerjee’s response emphasizes that after collecting the specified items, she left the premises to ensure that the agency’s work could continue without disruption. The affidavit also points to the agency’s own search records, which, it claims, reflect that the proceedings continued smoothly and in an orderly manner after her departure.
Timing and Procedure Under Scrutiny
The state government’s filing questions the timing of the Enforcement Directorate’s action, noting that the searches occurred in the run-up to the 2026 Assembly polls. It alleges that the agency had remained inactive for an extended period before initiating the operation at a politically sensitive moment.
The affidavit further claims that I-PAC was in possession of important internal documents, including a proposed list of potential candidates for the upcoming elections, when the searches were conducted. It argues that the agency had no legal claim over party-owned political data, especially since neither the party nor its functionaries are accused in the underlying case.
Additionally, the state has alleged procedural lapses under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act. It has pointed out that no audio or video recordings of the searches have been produced, suggesting that this omission raises questions about the manner in which the operations were carried out.
Earlier Interim Relief by the Court
The dispute had earlier reached the Supreme Court in mid-January. On January 15, the court stayed the FIRs registered by the West Bengal Police against Enforcement Directorate officials in connection with the same search operations. The bench also directed that CCTV footage and digital storage devices containing recordings from the searched premises and surrounding areas be preserved.
With both sides presenting sharply differing accounts, the upcoming hearing is expected to focus on whether there was any unlawful interference and whether further directions are warranted.