Kolkata: The political and legal standoff triggered by the Enforcement Directorate’s raids on political consultancy firm Indian Political Action Committee (I-PAC) escalated sharply on Friday, with the central agency and the Trinamool Congress filing rival petitions before the Calcutta High Court, even as courtroom chaos forced an adjournment.
The ED approached the High Court seeking a CBI probe against Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, senior police officers and others, alleging that its search operations were “hijacked” by the state machinery.
The incident occurred on Thursday when ED teams conducted raids at two locations linked to the TMC’s political consultancy firm, I-PAC—the Loudon Street residence of its co-founder, Pratik Jain, and the firm’s office in Salt Lake Sector V.
As the searches were in progress, Kolkata Police Commissioner Manoj Verma arrived at Jain’s residence. Shortly afterwards, Banerjee herself turned up, alleging that the BJP was using the ED raids to obtain TMC’s candidates’ list and party strategy ahead of the 2026 state elections.
In its petition, the agency claimed it had faced obstruction during the raids conducted on Thursday at I-PAC’s Salt Lake office and at the Loudon Street residence of its founder and director, Pratik Jain, in connection with a coal scam-linked money laundering investigation.
The hearing before Justice Suvra Ghosh on Friday could not proceed after overcrowding and disorder inside the courtroom led to bedlam, forcing the judge to leave. The ED later sought an early hearing before Acting Chief Justice Sujoy Paul, but the plea was rejected. The matter is now listed for January 14.
In its writ petition, the ED alleged “direct involvement of the highest political executive” and abuse of police power, urging the court to direct the Central Bureau of Investigation to register FIRs and investigate the entire incident. It cited judicial precedents to argue that when the “high and mighty” are involved in cognisable offences, the probe must be transferred to the CBI.
The agency also sought immediate seizure, sealing and forensic preservation of all digital devices, electronic records and documents it claimed were “illegally and forcibly” taken away during the searches.
In a press statement, the ED alleged that Banerjee entered the search premises despite requests not to interfere and left with key evidence, forcing the agency to terminate the search for security reasons.The ED further claimed that at least Rs 20 crore in hawala funds, allegedly generated from coal pilferage in West Bengal, were routed to I-PAC. It said these funds were moved through a Mumbai-based firm and linked the trail to its broader investigations, including the Delhi excise policy case.
The Trinamool Congress moved the High Court seeking restraint on the “misuse and dissemination” of documents seized during the raids. The party alleged that the ED had seized sensitive and confidential political data related to campaign strategy, internal assessments and electoral roll-related information for the 2026 Assembly elections, which had no nexus with any scheduled offence under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act.
The TMC warned that any misuse of the data would cause irreparable damage to the electoral process and constitutional democracy.
Separately, Mamata Banerjee lodged complaints at Shakespeare Sarani and Electronics Complex police stations. Based on her complaints, police registered cases — along with a suo motu case — under multiple provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the IT Act, including allegations of trespass, intimidation and unauthorised removal of materials.