The Supreme Court is set to address the Enforcement Directorate’s plea regarding alleged interference by the West Bengal government and Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee during recent search operations at the Indian Political Action Committee (I-PAC) office and co-founder Pratik Jain’s residence in Kolkata. The ED has requested FIRs against Banerjee, the state DGP, and the Kolkata Police Commissioner for obstructing lawful duties during simultaneous raids. The apex court had earlier stayed FIRs filed by the West Bengal Police against ED officials, citing concerns of state agencies impeding a central investigation.
The Justice Mishra-led Bench has granted two weeks for the Chief Minister and police officials to submit their counter-affidavits and scheduled further proceedings for February 3. The interim order mandates the preservation of CCTV footage and digital storage devices from the searched premises and surrounding areas. The court emphasized the significance of addressing issues related to investigations by central agencies and potential interference by state entities to prevent lawlessness.
During the proceedings, the Solicitor General representing the ED condemned the incident as a case of “mobocracy replacing democracy,” highlighting alleged intimidation of central agency officials. Conversely, the West Bengal government’s counsel raised objections to the ED’s petition, citing forum shopping and asserting the availability of remedies in the Calcutta High Court where similar pleas were pending.
