The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has made a significant legal move, urging the Calcutta High Court on Friday to order a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) inquiry against West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, state Director General of Police (DGP) Rajeev Kumar, and Kolkata Police Commissioner Manoj Varma. The federal agency has accused them of serious offences including theft of digital evidence, wrongful restraint of central officers, and causing a breakdown of the rule of law.
Allegations of Unconstitutional Interference and Evidence Theft
In a detailed 28-page petition accessed by media, the ED has leveled charges of "illegal and unconstitutional interference" against the Chief Minister and senior police officials, seeking their prosecution. The agency formally added CM Banerjee as a respondent in the case on Friday morning, alongside the police chiefs.
The petition presents a dramatic sequence of events, alleging that CM Mamata Banerjee entered the Loudon Street residence of I-PAC director Pratik Jain around 12:05 pm during an ongoing ED search operation. Despite the ED officers' clear request not to interfere with the proceedings under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), the agency claims the Chief Minister, with police assistance, forcibly took possession of all digital devices and key incriminating documents from the authorized officer.
The ED states it recorded the entire incident in a panchanama (seizure memo), asserting that such acts constitute theft of evidence, criminal trespass, and destruction/concealment of material evidence, ultimately striking at the core of the criminal justice system's integrity.
Obstruction at Salt Lake Office and Malicious FIRs
The agency's petition further claims that later, at I-PAC's office in Salt Lake, Kolkata, ED officers were obstructed and prevented from performing their lawful duties. Adding to its grievances, the ED alleged it discovered that several First Information Reports (FIRs) had been registered "in a malicious manner" targeting its officers simply for carrying out their official duties under the PMLA.
The Goa Connection: Rs 20 Crore Hawala Trail to I-PAC
Central to the ED's petition is its investigation into financial links between I-PAC and a coal smuggling probe, which originally prompted the search operations. The agency claims its investigation uncovered concrete material revealing that at least Rs 20 crore worth of "proceeds of crime" was transferred to I-PAC through hawala channels.
The ED informed the High Court that it began tracking a complex maze of transactions after receiving inputs about this Rs 20-crore hawala transfer made by an entity referred to as "R Kanti Lal firm." The petition even names the employee who allegedly handled these hawala transfers in Goa.
The probe led investigators to two firms that worked for I-PAC in Goa during the 2021-2022 period. These firms were allegedly used as conduits to route the Rs 20 crore from Kolkata to Goa. The ED has also claimed that a Kolkata businessman assisted in transferring the proceeds of crime via hawala from Kolkata to Goa, specifically to be used by I-PAC for its operations in the state.
The petition states, "As per information, Pratik Jain, co-founder and director of I-PAC, has handled I-PAC operations in Goa," directly linking the political consultancy's leadership to the financial trail under scrutiny.
This development marks a major escalation in the ongoing tussle between the central investigative agency and the West Bengal administration, setting the stage for a high-stakes legal and political battle.
