'Not a happy situation': Supreme Court raps Bengal Govt over Mamata Banerjee's ED raid 'interruption'

The Supreme Court on Wednesday pulled up the West Bengal government over West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s alleged interruption of the Enforcement Directorate’s raid on political consultancy firm I-PAC in January.

The Supreme Court on Wednesday pulled up the West Bengal government over Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s alleged interruption of the Enforcement Directorate’s raid at the office of political consultancy firm Indian Political Action Committee (I-PAC) and at the residence of its co-founder, Pratik Jain, in January.

The ED has alleged that Banerjee entered key raid locations and disrupted the investigation by taking away “key evidence”, including physical documents and electronic devices.

The apex court added that a central investigating agency cannot be left without remedy when its functioning is interrupted, Bar and Bench reported.

The Enforcement Directorate (ED), during an earlier hearing, told the Supreme Court that its officials had felt “terrorised” while carrying out investigations in West Bengal.

In her counter-affidavit, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee denied all allegations of interference or obstruction. She said her brief presence at the premises was only to retrieve confidential and proprietary data belonging to her party, the All India Trinamool Congress (AITC).

According to the affidavit, Banerjee visited the residence of Pratik Jain on Loudon Street and I-PAC’s office in Bidhannagar on January 8, 2026. She said she went there after receiving information that sensitive political data linked to the Trinamool was being accessed during the searches. The affidavit stated that the information was “crucial” for the party’s preparations for the upcoming Assembly elections.

It further said that upon reaching the locations, she requested ED officials to allow her to collect the party’s data, the devices in which it was stored, and related printed documents. The affidavit claimed that the officers present did not object and permitted her to take some electronic devices and files.

After collecting the material, Banerjee left the premises so that ED officials could continue their work without inconvenience, the affidavit added. It also pointed out that the agency’s own panchnamas show that the searches continued afterwards and were conducted peacefully and in an orderly manner.

Banerjee has also argued that neither the Trinamool Congress nor its leaders are accused in the alleged coal scam. Therefore, she contended, the ED has no legal right over the party’s internal or proprietary data.

The counter-affidavit also accused the agency of acting with mala fide intent. It said the searches were conducted ahead of the 2026 West Bengal Assembly elections after a long period of inactivity. It questioned the timing of the raids, claiming they took place when I-PAC was handling important documents, including a proposed list of candidates for the polls.

Raising concerns over procedural lapses, the affidavit alleged that the ED did not produce any audio or video recordings of the searches, as required under safeguards of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). This, it said, creates a strong suspicion that the searches were carried out secretly to access confidential political information.

(With IANS inputs)