Supreme Court Hearing on Mamata vs ED Case Turns Stormy
The Supreme Court hearing on Mamata Banerjee versus the Enforcement Directorate case witnessed sharp exchanges between both sides. The West Bengal Chief Minister accused the central agency of attempting to steal her party's data ahead of assembly elections. The Enforcement Directorate countered by accusing Banerjee of robbery and dacoity during their raid operations.
Courtroom Exchanges Turn Heated
Senior advocate Kapil Sibal, representing Mamata Banerjee, told the Supreme Court that the Enforcement Directorate raided I-PAC premises specifically to steal Trinamool Congress data and information. He claimed this data theft attempt targeted the upcoming assembly elections in West Bengal.
Additional solicitor general S V Raju presented the Enforcement Directorate's version to the Supreme Court. He accused the Chief Minister of committing robbery and dacoity by forcefully taking away files and devices from agency custody during an ongoing raid operation.
Justices Warn Against Courtroom Ruckus
A bench of Justices Prashant Kumar Mishra and Vipul M Pancholi expressed concern about the noisy proceedings. They specifically asked lawyers from both sides to avoid creating a ruckus inside the courtroom. The justices referenced similar disturbances that occurred at the Calcutta High Court.
The bench noted that the Calcutta High Court could not conduct proceedings properly on the first day of hearing due to these disturbances. They described this situation as particularly disturbing for judicial proceedings.
Calcutta High Court Incident Details Emerge
Solicitor general Tushar Mehta blamed Trinamool Congress sympathizers for the ruckus at Calcutta High Court. He informed the Supreme Court that the TMC legal cell circulated WhatsApp messages asking people to gather at the court premises.
Mehta stated that a huge number of advocates subsequently turned up at the courtroom and created significant commotion. He remarked that this represented mobocracy replacing democracy in court proceedings.
The Supreme Court bench responded to Mehta's submission with a pointed observation. They commented that the situation seemed like everyone was being invited as if it were Jantar Mantar rather than a court of law.
Opposition Presents Different Version
The opposing side presented a different perspective on the Calcutta High Court proceedings. They acknowledged that emotions ran high on the first day of hearing. However, they emphasized that Wednesday's hearing proceeded very smoothly without any disturbances.
Specific Allegations and Demands
Kapil Sibal specifically mentioned that Mamata Banerjee took away an iPhone and a laptop during the raid incident. He framed this action within the context of preventing data theft by the Enforcement Directorate.
The Enforcement Directorate's representative made serious demands during the hearing. S V Raju requested that an FIR be filed against the Chief Minister for her actions during the raid. He further suggested that the Central Bureau of Investigation should probe the case since state police work under Banerjee as home minister.
The hearing revealed deep tensions between state authorities and central agencies. Both sides presented dramatically different narratives about the same series of events. The Supreme Court now faces the challenging task of navigating these conflicting accounts while maintaining judicial decorum.
