The Supreme Court on Tuesday adjourned till February 10 the hearing on a petition filed by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) accusing the West Bengal government and Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee of obstructing a search operation at the Kolkata office of political consultancy firm I-PAC and the residence of its director Pratik Jain, in connection with the ongoing probe into an alleged multi-crore coal pilferage scam.
A bench comprising Justices Prashant Kumar Mishra and N V Anjaria deferred the matter after Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, representing the ED, informed the court that the state government had filed affidavits in response and sought time to examine them.
The ED’s petition stems from events of January 8, when it conducted search operations at I-PAC’s premises as part of a money-laundering probe linked to the coal pilferage case. The agency has alleged that during the operation, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, accompanied by senior Trinamool Congress (TMC) leaders, entered the search site, confronted ED officials, and allegedly removed key evidence — including physical files and electronic devices.
According to the ED, the chief minister’s presence and alleged interference had an “intimidating effect” on the investigating officers and “seriously compromised” the agency’s ability to carry out its statutory functions independently.
The plea further states that the West Bengal Police, instead of assisting the central agency, filed FIRs against the ED officials involved in the raid. The ED has sought a CBI investigation into what it describes as deliberate obstruction by the state police and administration, including DGP Rajeev Kumar and other top officials.
In a previous hearing on January 15, the apex court had taken serious note of the ED’s claims, describing the alleged obstruction by a state’s top executive in a central agency’s probe as a “very serious” matter. The court had issued notices to Mamata Banerjee, the West Bengal government, the DGP and other police officials on the ED’s plea.
The court had also stayed the FIRs registered against ED officers by the state police and directed preservation of CCTV footage from the raid sites.
The Trinamool Congress has denied all charges of obstruction. It has contended that the ED’s raid on I-PAC — which functions as the party’s election strategist — was politically motivated and aimed at gaining access to confidential election strategy documents ahead of the upcoming Assembly elections in the state.
The TMC has maintained that the ED’s action was not in pursuit of a legitimate investigation but was intended to disrupt its electoral preparations.
The ED is probing alleged large-scale pilferage of coal from mines operated by Eastern Coalfields Ltd in West Bengal, with purported involvement of political and administrative figures. The I-PAC raid is part of this broader investigation under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
With elections on the horizon in West Bengal, the case has sparked a major political controversy, intensifying the tussle between the Centre and the state government.
The matter will now be taken up by the Supreme Court on February 10.
