The Supreme Court is set to hear the Enforcement Directorate’s plea alleging interference by the West Bengal government and Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee during recent search operations at the office of Indian Political Action Committee (I-PAC) and its co-founder’s residence in Kolkata. The matter is scheduled for a hearing on February 18 before a bench of Justices Prashant Kumar Mishra and K. V. Viswanathan. The hearing was postponed due to senior advocate Kapil Sibal’s ill health, with Solicitor General Tushar Mehta informing the court about Sibal’s inability to appear.
Acceding to the request, the bench led by Justice Mishra deferred the matter for further hearing on February 18. The ED has sought court directions to register FIRs against Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, the state DGP, and the Kolkata Police Commissioner for alleged obstruction of lawful duties during the agency’s search operations. In response, Banerjee denied the allegations, stating her presence was to retrieve confidential data related to her party’s election strategy.
Chief Minister Banerjee’s counter-affidavit refuted the allegations of interference, stating that she had politely requested to retrieve the party’s data during the searches. She argued that the ED’s actions were malicious and questioned the timing of the searches in relation to the upcoming West Bengal Assembly elections. The affidavit also criticized the ED for not providing recordings of the searches, alleging a clandestine motive.
