The Supreme Court on Thursday came down strongly on the West Bengal government over the controversy surrounding the Enforcement Directorate’s (ED) raids on political consultancy firm I-PAC last week, describing the allegations raised by the central agency as “very serious”.
A Bench of Justices Prashant Kumar Mishra and Vipul Pancholi issued notices to the West Bengal government, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, Director General of Police Rajeev Kumar and other senior police officials on the ED’s petition seeking a CBI probe into the alleged obstruction of its searches.
Court stays FIRs, seeks preservation of CCTV footage
The Supreme Court stayed all FIRs filed against ED officials in connection with the raids and directed the West Bengal police to preserve CCTV footage from the I-PAC premises where the searches were conducted. The matter has been listed for detailed hearing on February 3.
The court observed that the issues raised go beyond the immediate dispute and, if left unanswered, could “lead to lawlessness”. It said it was necessary to examine whether state law-enforcement agencies can interfere with a central agency’s investigation into serious offences.
“Necessary to examine the issue so that offenders are not allowed to be protected under the shield of state’s law-enforcing agencies,” the Bench remarked.
Larger questions on federal balance
The court clarified that while central agencies have no authority to interfere with election-related activities of political parties, a critical question arises when such agencies claim to be acting bona fide in the investigation of serious crimes.
It noted that political activity cannot automatically become a shield against investigation if allegations of criminal wrongdoing are involved.
ED alleges interference by state machinery
In its plea, the ED alleged that Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has a “shocking pattern” of barging into premises when statutory authorities exercise their powers. The agency sought directions to the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT), the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) and the state government to suspend senior police officers, including the DGP, Kolkata Police Commissioner Manoj Kumar Verma and DCP South Kolkata Priyabatra Roy, for allegedly obstructing the raids.
High drama during I-PAC raids
The case stems from dramatic scenes in Kolkata last Thursday, when Mamata Banerjee rushed to the residence of I-PAC head Pratik Jain amid ED searches. The chief minister alleged that ED officials were attempting to “loot” Trinamool Congress hard disks and sensitive internal documents related to election strategy.
Calling the raids “politically motivated and unconstitutional”, Banerjee claimed she had retrieved party documents and hard drives from the premises. Videos of the episode showed chaotic scenes, with heavy police presence and intense media jostling.
The Supreme Court is now set to examine whether the actions of the state authorities amounted to unlawful interference in a central agency’s investigation, a ruling that could have significant implications for Centre–state relations and the functioning of investigative agencies.