In a significant development, the Calcutta High Court on Thursday granted permission to the Enforcement Directorate (ED) to formally file a case alleging obstruction against West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. The central agency accuses the CM of interfering with its searches connected to a 2020 coal smuggling scandal.
Court Greenlights ED's Obstruction Petition
Justice Suvra Ghosh of the Calcutta High Court allowed the federal probe agency to file its petition, which is slated for hearing on Friday. The ED's move comes after dramatic scenes unfolded during its simultaneous searches at six locations in West Bengal.
Among the premises raided were the office of political consultancy firm I-PAC in Kolkata's Sector V and the Loudon Street residence of its director, Pratik Jain. The searches are part of an investigation into a massive coal smuggling syndicate.
The Coal Scam Probe and I-PAC Link
In an official statement, the ED clarified that Thursday's action was based on a November 28, 2020, Enforcement Case Information Report (ECIR). This ECIR was itself registered following a CBI FIR against Anup Majee alias Lala and others.
The agency alleges that Majee's syndicate illegally excavated coal from leasehold areas of Eastern Coalfields Limited (ECL) and sold it to factories in districts like Bankura, Burdwan, and Purulia. The probe took a political turn when investigators allegedly discovered that a 'hawala' operator had facilitated transactions worth tens of crores of rupees to Indian PAC Consulting Private Limited, the registered entity behind I-PAC.
"I-PAC is also one of the entities linked to hawala money," the ED stated, firmly linking the political consultancy to the alleged money laundering network.
Alleged Obstruction by the Chief Minister
The ED's statement details a major confrontation. It claims that while searches were being conducted peacefully and professionally, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee arrived at Pratik Jain's residence with a large contingent of state police officials.
The agency alleges that Banerjee entered the premises and personally removed key evidence, including physical documents and electronic devices. Subsequently, her convoy proceeded to the I-PAC office, where her aides and police personnel are accused of forcibly removing more evidence.
"The above actions have resulted in obstruction in the ongoing investigation and proceedings under the PMLA (Prevention of Money Laundering Act)," the ED's release asserted. It also mentioned that a Deputy Commissioner of Police and other senior officers visited one search location to verify the identities of ED officials.
Stressing the non-political nature of the operation, the ED added, "It is clarified that the search is evidence-based and not targeted at any political establishment. No party office has been searched. The search is not linked to any elections, and is part of a regular crackdown on money-laundering." The court's decision to admit the obstruction case sets the stage for a major legal and political showdown in the state.
