The Supreme Court is set to address a petition by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) regarding alleged obstruction during simultaneous raid and search operations at the Indian Political Action Committee (I-PAC) office and co-founder Pratik Jain’s residence. The ED claims that West Bengal officials hindered their duties during the operations, leading to concerns over the investigation’s integrity. The Central agency has sought urgent judicial intervention in response to the resistance faced.
The ED asserts that interference by West Bengal authorities compromised the search operations’ integrity, prompting the Central agency to seek legal recourse. The West Bengal government has preemptively filed a caveat in the apex court to ensure its version is heard before any orders are issued. This move aims to prevent interim relief for the ED without the state government’s input.
In a related development, the Calcutta High Court addressed a petition accusing Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee of impeding Central agency officials in the performance of their duties. Additional counter-petitions were filed by Pratik Jain and the Trinamool Congress in response to the ED’s actions. The Trinamool’s counter-petition alleges that the ED raid targeted documents related to I-PAC’s voter strategy for the 2026 Assembly polls, suggesting a political motive behind the searches.
