Enforcement Directorate moves Calcutta High Court accusing West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee of obstructing I-PAC raids linked to a coal smuggling money laundering case, rejecting claims of political targeting ahead of Assembly elections.
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Thursday approached the Calcutta High Court, accusing West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee of misusing her constitutional authority and allegedly obstructing the official duties of central agency officers during search and raid operations conducted earlier in the day in Kolkata.
According to sources in the central agency, the matter was placed before a single-judge bench of Justice Suvra Ghosh, which admitted the ED’s petition. The court is scheduled to hear the case on Friday. The ED has sought judicial intervention, claiming that the Chief Minister’s actions during the searches amounted to interference in an ongoing investigation under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
The controversy stems from ED search operations carried out at multiple locations in West Bengal and Delhi in connection with an alleged coal smuggling and money laundering case originally registered in Delhi. ED officials stated that the searches were conducted at a total of ten locations—six in West Bengal and four in the national capital—linked to an alleged coal smuggling syndicate led by Anup Majee.
Among the locations searched were the office of Indian Political Action Committee (I-PAC) in the northern outskirts of Kolkata and the residence of I-PAC co-founder Pratik Jain at Loudon Street. Another ED team also visited the residence of a businessman in the Posta area of Burrabazar in north Kolkata as part of the same investigation.
ED sources claimed that I-PAC’s name surfaced during scrutiny of certain financial transactions related to the coal smuggling case. The agency, however, maintained that the searches were strictly evidence-based and unrelated to I-PAC’s political consultancy role or its association with any political party.
In its petition before the High Court, the ED alleged that while its teams were conducting searches in a lawful and peaceful manner, the situation escalated after the Chief Minister arrived at two of the premises, accompanied by senior officials of the West Bengal Police and Kolkata Police. The agency claimed that files and electronic materials were forcibly removed from the premises in the presence of state officials.
“These actions resulted in obstruction of an ongoing investigation and proceedings under the PMLA,” the ED said in an official statement. The agency argued that such interference by a constitutional authority not only hampers the investigation but also sets a dangerous precedent that could undermine the rule of law.
The ED also strongly refuted Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s public allegation that the agency had stolen documents belonging to the Trinamool Congress during the raids. Clarifying its position, the agency stated that no political party office had been searched and no documents belonging to any political party were seized.
“It is clarified that the search is evidence-based and not targeted at any political establishment. The search is not linked to any election and is part of a regular crackdown on money laundering. All actions were conducted strictly in accordance with established legal safeguards,” the ED statement said.
The Chief Minister had earlier claimed that the ED action was politically motivated and linked to the upcoming West Bengal Assembly elections scheduled later this year. The agency, however, dismissed these allegations, asserting that the searches had no connection to electoral considerations and were part of a routine investigation based on financial trails and documentary evidence.
I-PAC, founded by political strategist Prashant Kishor ahead of the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, has played a significant role in election management and political consultancy across several states. Since 2020, I-PAC has been working as the vote-strategy agency for the Trinamool Congress and has closely coordinated with the West Bengal government.
The organisation is widely credited with contributing to the Trinamool Congress’s sweeping victory in the 2021 West Bengal Assembly elections and its strong performance in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. Following Prashant Kishor’s exit from the organisation to pursue full-time politics, I-PAC has been led by three directors—Pratik Jain, Vinesh Chandel, and Rishi Raj Singh. Jain is considered the key liaison between I-PAC and the Trinamool Congress leadership.
Pratik Jain is known to wield considerable influence in the state’s political and administrative circles and has met Chief Minister Banerjee at Nabanna, the state secretariat, on several occasions. Ahead of elections, I-PAC reportedly acted as an interface between the ruling party and the government regarding the rollout and communication of welfare schemes.
The organisation has also maintained close coordination with Trinamool Congress all-India general secretary and Diamond Harbour Member of Parliament Abhishek Banerjee. Abhishek Banerjee has been questioned multiple times by both the ED and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) over the past few years in connection with the coal smuggling case.
Political reactions to the ED’s court move were swift. The West Bengal unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) issued a statement extending support to the central agency and stressing the need for independent functioning of law enforcement institutions.
“The Bharatiya Janata Party reiterates its principled position that law enforcement agencies must be allowed to function independently, professionally, and without political interference. The law must take its own course, guided solely by facts and evidence,” the statement said.
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Leader of the Opposition in the West Bengal Assembly, Suvendu Adhikari, strongly criticised the Chief Minister’s actions, accusing her of directly interfering with the functioning of a constitutional body. Drawing parallels with past incidents, Adhikari recalled the 2019 confrontation between the state government and the CBI during its attempt to question then Kolkata Police Commissioner Rajeev Kumar.
“Why is the Chief Minister worried about an ED raid at the office of a private corporate entity? Proper legal action should be taken against her as well,” Adhikari said.
As the legal and political battle intensifies, Friday’s hearing in the Calcutta High Court is expected to play a crucial role in determining the course of the investigation and the limits of executive intervention during central agency operations.
