Commotion in court, Calcutta High Court adjourns ED-TMC I-PAC raid hearing

In a rebuttal, the ED accused Banerjee of obstructing its probe.

• TMC and ED clash in Calcutta High Court over I-PAC and Pratik Jain searches
• TMC alleges ED seized confidential election data unrelated to coal case
• ED accuses Mamata Banerjee of obstructing probe and removing key evidence

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The political and legal standoff between the Trinamool Congress (TMC) and the Enforcement Directorate (ED) intensified on Thursday as both sides moved the Calcutta High Court over search operations conducted at the office of political consultancy firm I-PAC and the residence of its chief, Pratik Jain. The matter was mentioned before Justice Suvra Ghosh on Friday but was adjourned after commotion in the courtroom, with the judge rising.

According to LiveLaw, due to large scale commotion in courtroom, Calcutta HC adjourned the hearing of ED's plea seeking FIR against West Bengal Chief Minister (CM) Mamata Banerjee for her alleged interference during I-PAC raids. The matter is now likely to be heard on January 14. The ED will reportedly push for an urgent hearing on Friday itself, as per India Today.

On the other handle, in its petition, the TMC sought directions restraining the “misuse and dissemination” of materials seized during the January 8 searches, carried out under Section 17 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002. The party alleged that the ED unlawfully took possession of sensitive political material connected to preparations for the 2026 West Bengal Assembly elections.

“The petitioner submits that the seized articles and electronic data consist of confidential political data/information/documents relating to campaign strategy, internal assessments, research inputs, organisational coordination, and electoral roll-related data used for electioneering purposes in the forthcoming West Bengal Legislative Assembly Election, 2026,” the petition said.

The TMC maintained that the seized documents had no connection whatsoever with the alleged coal pilferage case being investigated. “The said materials have no proximate, causal, or even remote nexus with any scheduled offence or alleged proceeds of crime, and do not fall within the scopе of investigation under the Prevention of Money Laundering, 2002,” it said.

Alleging a deliberate attempt to disrupt the democratic process, the party claimed the searches were aimed at interfering with its election planning. According to the petition, “Such targeted seizure amounts to an impermissible intrusion into the petitioner's right to privacy under Article 21 and its constitutional right to participate meaningfully in the democratic process under Article 19.” It further warned of “grave prejudice, misuse, and dissemination” of the data if court intervention was not granted.

The ED raids sparked dramatic scenes on Thursday, with Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee arriving at the search locations. She accused officials of overreach and was seen leaving Jain’s residence with a green folder and electronic devices. At the I-PAC office, files were placed in her official vehicle in the presence of security personnel.

In a rebuttal, the ED accused Banerjee of obstructing its probe. “Banerjee entered the residential premises of Prateek Jain and took away key evidence, including physical documents and electronic devices,” the agency said. It also alleged that “Banerjee, her aides, and the state police personnel forcibly removed physical documents and electronic evidence” from the I-PAC office.

The ED asserted that its actions were lawful and unrelated to elections. “No party office has been searched. The search is not linked to any elections and is part of a regular crackdown on money laundering,” it said, adding that operations were conducted “strictly in accordance with established legal safeguards.”

Separately, the ED has approached the High Court alleging interference in its investigation. Meanwhile, Kolkata Police have registered two cases against the central agency, further escalating tensions.

The BJP criticised the chief minister’s conduct during the raids, stating on X, “If there is nothing to hide in West Bengal, why would a Chief Minister scramble to secure files from an official investigation site?”

The searches stem from a 2020 CBI FIR into alleged coal smuggling from Eastern Coalfields Limited areas. The ED has claimed that proceeds were routed through a hawala network and that part of the money trail led to I-PAC.