New Delhi: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has moved the Supreme Court accusing West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and senior state officials of interfering with an ongoing investigation linked to an alleged coal pilferage racket. The central agency has sought a court-monitored probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) into an incident that took place during searches conducted in Kolkata earlier this month.
According to the ED, its officers faced serious obstruction on January 8 while carrying out raids at the office of political consultancy firm I-PAC and the residence of its director, Pratik Jain. The agency alleged that the Chief Minister herself arrived at the search locations and removed crucial material, including documents and electronic devices, which it claims were relevant to the money-laundering inquiry.
In its petition, the ED stated that the Chief Minister’s presence at the raid sites created an atmosphere of pressure and intimidation, undermining the agency’s ability to function independently. It further claimed that the alleged removal of evidence had a direct impact on the integrity of the investigation.
Citing what it described as a lack of cooperation from the state administration, the ED has urged the apex court to order an independent inquiry by the CBI, arguing that only a neutral central agency can fairly investigate the incident given the involvement of the state executive.
The matter is expected to be mentioned for urgent listing before the Supreme Court on Monday.
Anticipating legal action, the West Bengal government has already filed a caveat in the top court, seeking to ensure that no interim or adverse order is passed without hearing its side. A caveat serves as a formal request to the court to give the concerned party an opportunity to present its arguments before any decision is taken.
The January 8 searches were part of the ED’s probe into an alleged multi-crore coal smuggling and laundering operation. The agency has maintained that its officers were prevented from completing their duties during the raid.
The controversy has also played out in the Calcutta High Court, where both the ED and the state government filed petitions against each other. The ED had accused the Chief Minister and senior police officials, including Director General of Police Rajeev Kumar and Kolkata Police Commissioner Manoj Verma, of forcibly taking away seized material, while the state sought safeguards against what it termed misuse of data collected during the search.
Court proceedings in the High Court took a dramatic turn on Friday when Justice Subhra Ghosh reportedly stepped away from the bench amid disruptions in an overcrowded courtroom filled with lawyers associated with rival political parties. Acting Chief Justice Sujoy Paul declined to take up the matter at that stage, and the case has now been listed before Justice Ghosh for hearing on January 14.
The legal battle now shifts focus to the Supreme Court, where the ED is pressing for an independent probe into the alleged interference.
