I-PAC Raid Case: West Bengal Govt Moves Supreme Court, Files Caveat Against ED Action

A caveat is filed to ensure that no adverse order is made against a party without it being heard.

The development comes in the backdrop of searches conducted by the Enforcement Directorate on Thursday (January 8) at multiple premises linked to I-PAC and Pratik Jain in Kolkata. The searches were carried out as part of a money laundering investigation connected to an alleged multi-crore coal pilferage scam.

According to the Enforcement Directorate, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee allegedly entered one of the raid locations during the search operation and removed “key” evidence, including physical documents and electronic devices. The agency has claimed that the materials were taken away from its custody.

Banerjee, however, has strongly denied the allegations and accused the central agency of acting beyond its authority.

On Friday (January 9), the Enforcement Directorate approached the Calcutta High Court seeking a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) against Banerjee. The ED alleged that the Chief Minister, with the assistance of the state police, interfered with the search proceedings and removed incriminating documents during the raid conducted at Pratik Jain’s residence.

According to reports, the ED is also considering approaching the Supreme Court over alleged obstruction of its recent raids at the premises of political consultancy firm I-PAC and its director Pratik Jain, in Kolkata.

The ED has already filed a petition before the Calcutta High Court, seeking a CBI investigation into the role of West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, senior police officials, and others for allegedly impeding its raids. The searches were conducted on January 8, in connection with a coal scam-linked money laundering case, with additional raids taking place in Delhi and other parts of West Bengal.

The agency claimed in its writ petition that around ₹20 crore in hawala funds, linked to alleged coal pilferage, had been routed to I-PAC, which has served as a political consultant to the Trinamool Congress (TMC) and the state government since 2021. “Concrete material found during investigation revealed that at least ₹20 crore worth of proceeds of crime was transferred to I-PAC through hawala channels,” the petition stated.

According to the ED, the chief minister entered Jain’s Loudon Road residence and later the I-PAC Salt Lake office despite being asked not to interfere in the ongoing PMLA (Prevention of Money Laundering Act) search. The agency alleged Banerjee “forcibly took possession” of digital devices and key documents with the aid of police personnel, leaving the premises around 12:15 p.m. on January 8.

In its plea, the ED sought immediate seizure, sealing, and forensic preservation of the digital devices and documents allegedly “forcibly taken away” from the site. The petition also requested the High Court to pass interim orders restraining access, deletion, or tampering of the seized data.

The agency further claimed that local witnesses to the raid, referred to as panch witnesses; were “hijacked” by state officials and allegedly coerced into recording that the search had been peaceful and nothing incriminating was found. “The witnesses were made to record false statements contrary to the true facts,” the petition alleged.

Banerjee, however, hit back at the ED, accusing it of acting as a political tool of the BJP to “steal” her party’s internal strategy. On Friday, she led a 10-kilometre protest march from Jadavpur to Hazra Crossing in Kolkata, asserting that she had done nothing illegal. “I intervened as the TMC chairperson, not as chief minister. They came to steal my party data. I will expose everything if needed,” she declared at the rally.

The Calcutta High Court proceedings took an unusual turn on January 9, when Justice Suvra Ghosh, hearing multiple related petitions, left the courtroom citing excessive crowding. The matter is now expected to be taken up again on Wednesday, i.e. January 14, as the court remains closed for the weekend.

Case Title: State of West Bengal v. Directorate of Enforcement