IPAC raid row escalates! ED drags Mamata Banerjee to Supreme Court after High Court chaos

IPAC, the political consultancy firm, works with several parties, including Banerjee’s Trinamool Congress (TMC).

The ED moved the apex court a day after the Calcutta High Court postponed its hearing on the agency’s plea, which sought a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into Banerjee’s actions at Jain’s residence on Thursday.

The hearing has now been rescheduled for January 14, following disruptions at the original session.

Meanwhile, the West Bengal government filed a caveat in the Supreme Court on Saturday, seeking that no order be passed without hearing the state in connection with the case.

What’s the matter?

The ED on Thursday conducted raids at 10 locations — six in West Bengal and four in Delhi — in connection with its probe into the alleged coal smuggling scam. Of the six locations in Kolkata, two were linked to political consultancy firm I-PAC, which works with the TMC.

Searches reportedly began around 7 am at the ED office in Salt Lake Sector V and at the Loudon Street residence of I-PAC India head Pratik Jain in Kolkata.

Hours into the raid, Mamata Banerjee made an unannounced visit to Jain’s residence. She later emerged carrying a green file, a laptop and a mobile phone, believed to belong to the I-PAC official.

Banerjee subsequently visited the I-PAC office, climbed to the 11th floor and retrieved additional documents, which were transferred to a vehicle by her security personnel.

What are the allegations levelled by the Chief Minister?

Banerjee accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Union Home Minister Amit Shah of misusing central agencies to seize her party’s election strategy and candidate list ahead of upcoming polls scheduled for the summer.

Calling Shah a “nasty and naughty Home Minister”, she said, “They were trying to seize my party documents. What will happen if I do the same with the BJP?”

Addressing the media from the I-PAC office, Banerjee alleged that crucial election-related work and activities linked to the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process were disrupted.

“This is a crime. Our election work is going on. Work related to SIR to help people is also ongoing. They have transferred all of that. The tables are empty,” she said, adding that recreating the documents would take so long that elections might be over.

“If Amit Shah wants to win the election, he should fight it at the polls. But why raid our party’s IT sector and snatch away all our documents?” she asked.

What did the ED say?

The Enforcement Directorate rejected Banerjee’s claims, alleging that the Chief Minister “forcibly removed physical documents and electronic evidence” during the searches.

In an official statement, the agency said raids were conducted at 10 locations as part of an evidence-based probe and were not politically motivated.

“The search action was undertaken in a peaceful manner till the arrival of the Chief Minister of West Bengal along with police personnel and officers of the West Bengal administration, who forcibly removed physical documents and electronic evidence in two of the premises,” the ED said.

Clarifying its position, the agency added: “The search is evidence-based and is not targeted at any political establishment. No party office has been searched. The action is not linked to any elections and is part of a regular crackdown on money laundering, conducted strictly in accordance with established legal safeguards.”

The ED said the raids were linked to a coal smuggling syndicate allegedly led by Anup Majhee, who is accused of stealing and illegally excavating coal from Eastern Coalfields Limited (ECL) leasehold areas in West Bengal.