New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Tuesday adjourned to February 10 the Enforcement Directorate’s (ED) plea accusing West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee of obstructing its raids on Indian Political Action Committee (I-PAC) offices linked to an alleged coal pilferage scam. The bench expressed concern over state interference in central agency operations but deferred final hearing amid ongoing arguments.
The controversy stems from January 8 raids on I-PAC premises and co-founder Pratik Jain’s residence in Kolkata, where ED alleged Rs 20 crore hawala transfers from coal scam proceeds funded Trinamool Congress campaigns. ED claimed Mamata Banerjee arrived with senior police and party leaders, confronted officers, seized documents and digital devices, and forced premature search termination, calling it a “serious violation of federal probe authority.”
During Tuesday’s hearing before Justices Prashant Kumar Mishra and Vipul Pancholi, solicitor general Tushar Mehta reiterated demands to quash FIRs against ED officers, suspend implicated Bengal police, and initiate CBI probe into the CM’s role. Senior advocate Kapil Sibal, in his argument for Mamata and state, countered that raids timed pre-2026 polls targeted election data, denying evidence removal and labeling ED claims “blatant lies” backed by video footage. The court, having stayed FIRs on January 14 and ordered CCTV preservation, noted prima facie issues but sought detailed counters before proceeding.
On January 14, the apex court issued notices, stayed probes against ED, and rebuked Calcutta High Court chaos post-raid, terming it “disturbing.” Bengal government questioned ED plea maintainability, while TMC alleged political vendetta ahead of assembly elections. ED highlighted pattern of state obstruction in coal syndicate cases.
