The Calcutta High Court witnessed unprecedented scenes of chaos on Friday, leading to the adjournment of a high-stakes hearing involving the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. The hearing, centered on raids at political consultancy I-PAC, was postponed to January 14 by Justice Suvra Ghosh, who cited an "enormous disturbance and commotion" in the courtroom that made proceedings impossible.
Courtroom Descends Into Chaos
Justice Suvra Ghosh was forced to walk out and adjourn the hearing after her repeated pleas for order were ignored by a large gathering of lawyers and others in courtroom number 5. The hearing was scheduled for 2:30 PM, but the crowd began swelling right after the lunch break ended at 2 PM. The judge noted in her order that she would have heard the petitions as scheduled had the environment been conducive.
"Several requests made by the court to maintain decorum and dignity fell on deaf ears. The environment in the courtroom is not conducive to commence/continue with the hearing," Justice Ghosh stated. Lawyers for both sides, ED's Dhiraj Trivedi and Trinamool's Kalyan Banerjee, complained they could not even reach the bench to present their arguments due to the crowd.
The Legal Battle and Conflicting Petitions
The face-off stems from events on Thursday afternoon, when Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee drove to the Loudon Street residence of I-PAC director Pratik Jain while ED officials were conducting a search. The raid is linked to a 2020 money laundering case. The CM later proceeded to I-PAC's Salt Lake Sector V office, staying for nearly four hours and allegedly taking away documents and storage devices she claimed contained her party's election strategy.
The ED's petition accuses CM Mamata Banerjee, DGP Rajeev Kumar, and Kolkata Police Commissioner Manoj Varma of "theft of digital devices and other evidence, and wrongful restraint and confinement of central government officers." In her counter-petition, Mamata Banerjee alleges the ED is acting at the behest of the BJP and targeting I-PAC to "snatch" Trinamool-specific data related to upcoming assembly elections.
Aftermath and Urgent Hearing Denied
Following the forced adjournment, the ED immediately approached Acting Chief Justice Sujoy Paul seeking an urgent hearing of their petition. However, Acting CJ Paul turned down the plea, telling the agency's counsel that there was no justification for an urgent hearing after the assigned judge had already fixed a date for January 14.
The incident highlights the intense legal and political tensions surrounding the probe into the Trinamool Congress-linked consultancy. The court's inability to proceed due to the disturbance underscores the highly charged atmosphere of the case, which now awaits its next hearing in the new year.
