ED moves SC seeking CBI FIR against Mamata
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has filed a plea before the Supreme Court accusing West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and State officials of interfering with the central agency’s investigation and search operations at the Kolkata offices of political consultancy firm I-PAC.
The matter reached the Supreme Court after the Calcutta High Court, on Friday, was forced to adjourn related litigation amid unruly commotion in the courtroom.
The ED has sought directions for a CBI and directions to restrain Chief Minister Banerjee and State officials from obstructing its probe against I-PAC.
Meanwhile, the State of West Bengal has already filed a caveat before the apex court, seeking to ensure that no orders are passed without affording the State Government a hearing.
The ED said that its search operations at I-PAC, linked to an ongoing coal smuggling investigation, were disrupted through the intervention of the West Bengal Chief Minister and State officials.
The agency has claimed that the intervention resulted in the removal of crucial physical and electronic material connected to the investigation and prevented officers from carrying out their duties in accordance with the law.
The ED has further contended that the manner in which the search sites were allegedly taken over amounted to a complete derailment of a lawful investigation.
According to ED, what began as a search under statutory authority escalated into a confrontation due to the involvement of the State machinery.
Before the Calcutta High Court, the ED and another by the All India Trinamool Congress (TMC) had filed petitions accusing each other.
The ED’s plea sought a CBI probe against Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee for allegedly obstructing an ongoing investigation, as well as the return of documents and electronic material she is said to have taken from premises linked to political consultancy firm I-PAC.
The TMC, on the other hand, sought directions to restrain the ED from leaking any party-related information. A Division Bench of the High Court on January 9 adjourned the case till January 14 amid disturbances caused due to crowding and commotion in the courtroom.
