ED seeks CBI probe into obstruction of I-PAC raids in Kolkata
ED seeks CBI probe into obstruction of I-PAC raids in Kolkata
ED pushes for CBI inquiry over alleged interference as West Bengal files caveat in Supreme Court.
The Enforcement Directorate has moved for a Central Bureau of Investigation inquiry into what it calls a deliberate obstruction of its raids on I-PAC and its director Pratik Jain in Kolkata. In its filing, the agency says there was intervention by West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, state officials, and others that derailed the investigation into a coal smuggling nexus with hawala links. The agency contends that vital physical and digital evidence was removed and that the raids became a scene of a show-of-power, far from the procedure established by law.
West Bengal's government has filed a caveat in the Supreme Court to ensure that no ex-parte orders are issued in the ED's favour without hearing the state first. In parallel, the ED sought action in the Calcutta High Court against Banerjee and officials for disrupting raids conducted under legal safeguards. A two-judge bench adjourned a related hearing on Saturday to January 14, as both sides pressed their arguments.
I-PAC, the political consultancy linked to the Trinamool Congress, has denied wrongdoing, while the ED says the probe centers on coal-smuggling networks and hawala money. The political backdrop is charged: since the 2021 West Bengal Assembly elections, I-PAC helped shape strategy for the ruling party. The ED's case, officials say, is about law-and-order breaches, not a political vendetta, though the clash has underscored the high-stakes politics in the state.
Meanwhile, Kolkata police have launched a probe to identify the ED personnel who were present at both raid sites, amid questions about the sequence and handling of the searches.
The developments come as a rare public test between federal agencies and a state government intensify ahead of ongoing court hearings.
