The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Thursday made sharp allegations against West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee in the Supreme Court, accusing her and senior state police officials of unlawfully seizing documents during search operations at the office and residence of political consultancy firm I-PAC’s director, Prateek Jain, in Kolkata.
The central agency described the incident as a “direct act of theft” and warned that such actions could severely undermine the functioning of investigative agencies.
The matter was heard around 11:45 am by a bench comprising Justices Prashant Kumar Mishra and Vipul Pancholi. The ED has approached the apex court by filing a petition under Article 32 of the Constitution.
Appearing for the ED, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta told the court that during a search conducted last week in connection with an illegal coal smuggling case, Mamata personally arrived at the I-PAC office and residence of Jain. She was allegedly accompanied by Director General of Police Rajeev Kumar, Kolkata Police Commissioner Manoj Kumar Verma, and South Kolkata Deputy Commissioner Priyabrata Roy.
“Documents were seized without permission. This is a direct act of theft,” Mehta submitted, alleging that senior police officials actively aided the Chief Minister in obstructing the lawful search operation.
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The Solicitor General further argued that the incident was part of a recurring pattern. “This is not an isolated incident. When central investigating agencies act according to law, the Chief Minister herself enters the search premises. This is a very dangerous pattern,” he told the bench.
Referring to earlier confrontations, Mehta cited the chit fund investigation, claiming that despite Supreme Court orders, CBI officers were taken to a police station. “The Chief Minister staged a sit-in protest to prevent officers from performing their duties,” he said.
According to the ED, the I-PAC office contained incriminating material crucial to the coal smuggling investigation. The agency claimed that although local police had been informed, the Chief Minister and senior officers arrived with a large police force and took away documents without authorisation. The ED also alleged that an officer’s mobile phone was temporarily confiscated during the operation.
“Such incidents will intimidate investigating officers and break their morale. In the future, no one will be able to perform their duties fearlessly,” the Solicitor General argued.
The ED urged the Supreme Court to direct the suspension of the police officers involved and order a departmental inquiry for allegedly obstructing the raid. When Justice Mishra asked whether the court would directly order suspensions, Mehta responded that the court could direct the competent authority to take appropriate action.
Senior advocates Kapil Sibal and Kalyan Banerjee, appearing for the West Bengal government, strongly opposed the ED’s submissions, terming the allegations one-sided and politically motivated.
The case has brought the ongoing confrontation between the central investigative agency and the West Bengal government to the doorstep of the Supreme Court. The court’s observations and directions are expected to have a significant bearing on the future course of the investigation. The hearing was continuing at the time of filing this report.
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