The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has approached the Supreme Court of India, seeking an urgent hearing and a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) against West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and senior state police officials. The central agency has accused them of obstructing a search operation at the Kolkata office of the Indian Political Action Committee (I-PAC) last week and snatching crucial evidence.
A Pattern of Defiance and Obstruction: ED's Allegations
In its plea filed before the apex court, the ED has painted a picture of a "shocking state-of-affairs in West Bengal." The agency alleges that Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who also holds the home portfolio, along with the state's Director General of Police, the Kolkata Police Commissioner, and other officers, barged into the premises being searched. The ED claims this was not an isolated incident but part of a consistent pattern where the state machinery is misused to block investigations not to the ruling party's liking.
The agency stated that Banerjee "has made a pattern to take law into her hands and misuse the State police" whenever a probe has the potential to unearth incriminating material against her, her ministers, or party workers. The plea argues that the actions of the Chief Minister and police officials amount to serious cognizable offences, requiring the registration of an FIR as mandated by the Supreme Court in the Lalita Kumari case.
The I-PAC Raid Incident: Evidence Snatched, Officers Threatened
The controversy stems from an ED search conducted at the residential premises of I-PAC founder Pratik Jain in Kolkata. The agency is investigating a multi-state money laundering case where proceeds of crime worth Rs. 2,742.32 crore are allegedly derived from illegal coal mining. The search at Jain's premises was based on material indicating the receipt of crime proceeds exceeding Rs. 20 crore.
The ED's petition provides a dramatic account of the events. It alleges that Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, accompanied by the state's top bureaucrat and police officers, forcibly entered the search location. The agency claims that they not only intimidated and threatened the ED officers but also snatched files and electronic evidence containing incriminating material that had already been taken into possession under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). Following this, the officers were allegedly threatened and prevented from continuing their search.
The ED emphasized that the evidence collected "had nothing to do with any activity of any political party" and was strictly related to the money laundering offence under investigation. By snatching the evidence in full media glare, the agency argued, it was the "Constitution and the rule of law which was humiliated."
Why ED is Seeking a CBI Probe and Moving the Supreme Court
The ED has made a compelling case for bypassing the state police. Since the Chief Minister and the senior-most police officials are themselves accused of the offences, approaching the local police to register an FIR would be a "futile exercise," the agency contends. It fears the local police would conduct a shoddy investigation to protect those in power.
Furthermore, the ED highlighted the alleged clout of the Chief Minister, referencing events in the Calcutta High Court. It claimed that proceedings were adjourned because a ruckus was created in the court, with party members allegedly being mobilized via WhatsApp messages to gather in large numbers, making the environment unconducive for a hearing.
The agency also pointed to an alleged pattern of registering multiple FIRs against central agency officers after such incidents to intimidate them and deter future investigations. In the I-PAC case, the ED alleges that the West Bengal police, under the guise of an FIR, took away the CCTV camera that captured the entire incident, which it terms an offence of destroying evidence.
Given this "consistent defiance of law," the ED has urged the Supreme Court to intervene, calling it a "constitutionally imperative" step to restore the lawful authority of investigating agencies and set a precedent that no political leader can take the law into their own hands.
