ED moves Supreme Court in I-PAC case, seeks fair probe into State ‘obstruction’ of its raids

The Directorate of Enforcement (ED) has sought a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into the alleged obstruction of its raids at the offices of political consultancy firm I-PAC and its co-founder Pratik Jain in Kolkata by West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, State officials and other individuals.

The anti-money laundering agency has argued that the intervention of the Chief Minister has derailed a lawful investigation into coal smuggling. Vital evidence, both physical and electeonic, connected to the probe was removed and the raids bulldozed, amounting to a “gross obstruction of justice”. The sites of the raids descended into scenes of a “showdown” through the illegal intervention of the State machinery itself.

The State of West Bengal has already filed a caveat in the Supreme Court to ensure that no ex-parte orders, possibly granting relief to the ED, are passed without hearing it first.

The ED had also moved the Calcutta High Court seeking action against Ms. Banerjee and officials under the criminal law for disrupting the raids conducted in accordance with the procedure established by the law. A hearing held before a two-judge Bench of the High Court on Saturday (January 10, 2026) was adjourned to January 14.

The State has also moved counter petitions, challenging the ED's version.

The Trinamool Congress had consulted with the firm over the past few years and I-PAC had helped the party shape its electoral and political strategy in the 2021 Assembly election and subsequent elections in West Bengal.

The ED said that the raid was connected to a probe into a coal smuggling syndicate and entities linked to hawala money, and was conducted strictly in accordance with established legal safeguards.

“It is clarified that the search is evidence-based and is not targeted at any political establishment. No party office has been searched. The search is not linked to any elections, and is part of regular crackdown on money laundering,” the agency had claimed in a statement.