In a big blow to the Trinamool Congress (TMC) government in West Bengal, the Supreme Court on Thursday stayed proceedings against officials of the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in connection with the raids at the offices of political consultancy firm I-PAC.
A bench of Justices Prashant Kumar Mishra and Vipul Pancholi also asked authorities to preserve CCTV footage of raids. The bench observed that there would be lawlessness if the top court did not intervene in the matter.
Senior lawyer Abhishek Singhvi, appearing for the Bengal government, opposed the stay of probe against ED officials. The next hearing will take place on February 3.
The central agency moved to the top court after ED officials faced obstructions during the probe agency’s raids at the office of political consultancy firm I-PAC in Salt Lake and the residence of its chief, Pratik Jain, in Kolkata in connection with a coal smuggling case on January 8. The agency has claimed that Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee entered the premises and took away “key" evidence related to the probe.
On the other hand, CM Banerjee has accused the ED of “overreach", while her party, Trinamool Congress, has denied the ED’s allegation of “obstructing" its probe. The state’s police had registered an FIR against ED officers.
The raids at the I-PAC took place months ahead of the West Bengal Assembly elections. Mamata Banerjee-led TMC has won three consecutive assembly polls in the state since 2011.
What Are ED’s Allegations?
The ED has alleged repeated obstructions and non-cooperation by the state administration and sought directions for an independent inquiry by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), contending that a neutral central agency is necessary in view of the “interference" by the state executive.
Prior to approaching the Supreme Court, the ED on January 9 knocked on the doors of the Calcutta High Court, seeking a CBI probe against Banerjee, alleging that the TMC supremo, with the aid of police, took away incriminating documents from the agency’s custody during the raid at Jain’s house.
The high court adjourned the hearing on the ED’s plea on Wednesday. It also disposed of a petition filed by the TMC, praying for the protection of its data, saying the ED has informed the court that it has not seized anything from Jain’s office and house during its raids.
