The Supreme Court has postponed the hearing on a plea by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) accusing the West Bengal government and Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee of interference during recent search operations in Kolkata. The Bench deferred the matter to February 10 after the Solicitor General requested time to respond to the state government’s counter affidavit. The ED seeks FIRs against CM Mamata, the state DGP, and the Kolkata Police Commissioner for allegedly obstructing lawful duties during the searches.
The Centre’s second-highest law officer informed the Apex Court that they needed time to review the state government’s response received on Tuesday. The ED’s petition aims for FIRs against top West Bengal officials for hindering the agency’s search operations. The Supreme Court had earlier stayed FIRs filed by the West Bengal Police against ED officials, citing concerns of state agency interference in a central investigation.
The Supreme Court had issued notices to the Chief Minister and senior police officials, granting them two weeks to file counter-affidavits. The matter was scheduled for further hearing on February 3. The Top Court had also directed the preservation of CCTV footage and digital storage devices related to the searches, emphasizing the seriousness of the issue regarding interference in central agency investigations.
