ED Moves Calcutta High Court, Accuses Mamata Banerjee of Obstructing Probe During Search Operations

Kolkata, Jan 2026 : The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Thursday approached a single-judge bench of the Calcutta High Court, alleging that West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee misused her constitutional authority by creating obstructions during official search and raid operations conducted by the central agency earlier in the day. The ED contended that the Chief Minister’s actions amounted to interference in an ongoing investigation under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).

According to the ED, its teams were carrying out simultaneous search operations at two locations in Kolkata — the office of the India Political Action Committee (I-PAC) in the northern outskirts of the city and the residence of I-PAC co-founder Pratik Jain at Loudon Street. During the course of these searches, the agency alleged that the Chief Minister arrived at both premises in quick succession, accompanied by senior officials from the West Bengal Police and Kolkata Police.

The ED further claimed that during the Chief Minister’s visit, files and electronic materials that were part of the search process were allegedly removed from the premises, thereby hampering the investigation. Terming the actions as “forcible removal of evidence,” the agency argued before the court that such conduct resulted in serious obstruction of lawful proceedings being carried out under the PMLA.

It is learnt that the single-judge bench of Justice Suvra Ghosh admitted the ED’s petition and listed the matter for hearing on Friday. The court is expected to examine the allegations of obstruction and the circumstances under which the searches were conducted.

Earlier in the day, soon after leaving the searched premises, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had accused the ED of targeting political entities and alleged that the agency had removed documents belonging to the Trinamool Congress (TMC) in the name of search operations. Responding to these claims, the ED issued a detailed clarification, firmly denying any wrongdoing.

In its official statement, the ED said that the searches were part of a larger, evidence-based investigation and were being conducted at a total of 10 locations — six in West Bengal and four in Delhi. The searches, the agency clarified, were linked to an alleged coal smuggling syndicate led by Anup Majee and had no connection whatsoever with I-PAC’s role as a political consultancy or its association with any political party.

“The search action was undertaken in a peaceful manner till the arrival of the Chief Minister of West Bengal along with police personnel and officers of the state administration. Physical documents and electronic evidence were forcibly removed from two premises, resulting in obstruction of an ongoing investigation and proceedings under the PMLA,” the ED said in its statement.

The agency also rejected the Chief Minister’s allegation that the raids were politically motivated or linked to the forthcoming West Bengal Assembly elections scheduled later this year. “No party office has been searched. The search is not related to any election. It is part of a regular crackdown on money laundering activities and is being conducted strictly in accordance with established legal safeguards,” the statement added.

It may be recalled that I-PAC has been serving as the vote-strategy and political consultancy agency for the Trinamool Congress since 2020, ahead of the 2021 Assembly elections in West Bengal. However, the ED maintained that the current investigation is entirely unrelated to electoral politics and is focused solely on financial irregularities backed by documentary evidence.

Following the developments, the West Bengal unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) issued a statement extending support to the ED. The party stressed that investigative agencies must be allowed to function independently without political pressure or interference.

“The Bharatiya Janata Party, West Bengal, reiterates its principled stand that law enforcement agencies must be allowed to function independently, professionally, and without political interference. The law must take its own course, guided only by facts and evidence. Any attempt to politicise or obstruct lawful investigations weakens public trust in institutions and undermines the rule of law,” the BJP said.

The matter has further intensified the ongoing political confrontation between the Trinamool Congress-led state government and central investigative agencies, with the High Court now set to play a crucial role in adjudicating the competing claims.

Team Maverick.