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The BJP connected Thursday (January 15, 2026) termed the Supreme Court's observations connected the Enforcement Directorate's petition alleging obstructions during raids astatine Indian Political Action Committee (I-PAC) premises a "serious indictment" of West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and her government, alleging that she utilized the State machinery to shield those accused of ember smuggling and wealth laundering.
It came aft the apical tribunal described the ED allegation that Ms. Banerjee caused "obstruction" successful its probe arsenic "very serious" and agreed to analyse whether a State's law-enforcing agencies tin interfere with immoderate cardinal agency's probe into immoderate superior offence.
The apical tribunal stayed the FIR filed successful West Bengal against ED officials who raided the I-PAC bureau and the residence of its director, Pratik Jain, connected January 8, 2026 and directed the State constabulary to support the CCTV footage of the raids.
A Bench of Justices Prashant Kumar Mishra and Vipul Pancholi issued notices to Ms. Banerjee, the West Bengal Government, Director General of Police (DGP) Rajeev Kumar and apical cops connected the ED's petitions seeking a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe against them for allegedly obstructing raids astatine I-PAC premises.
I-PAC | The emergence of nonrecreational governmental campaigners
Reacting to the development, BJP co-in-charge for West Bengal Amit Malviya said, "This is simply a superior indictment of West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and her government." In a "stinging" observation, the Supreme Court noted that the plea raises superior issues of alleged interference by authorities agencies successful an ongoing ED investigation, helium said.
The tribunal warned that obstruction of cardinal agencies probing sedate economical offences could pb to lawlessness, helium said successful a station connected X.
This is simply a superior indictment of West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and her government.
The Supreme Court has stayed the FIRs registered by the West Bengal Police against Enforcement Directorate (ED) officers successful transportation with the I-PAC raid involving accused linked to… pic.twitter.com/7U6pubFE3H
Mr. Malviya further said that erstwhile a Chief Minister uses the State machinery to shield those accused of ember smuggling and wealth laundering, and to intimidate cardinal agencies, the Supreme Court's involution becomes "inevitable".
Ms. Banerjee's behaviour during the ED raids astatine I-PAC premises was not governance but maltreatment of powerfulness to support corruption.
The ED's plea successful the apex tribunal follows events from January 8, 2026, erstwhile ED officials faced obstructions during the probe agency's raids astatine the bureau of the governmental consultancy steadfast I-PAC successful Salt Lake and the residence of its chief, Pratik Jain, successful Kolkata successful transportation with a ember smuggling case.
The probe bureau has claimed that Ms. Banerjee entered the premises and took distant "key" grounds related to the probe.
The Chief Minister has accused the cardinal bureau of overreach, portion her party, the Trinamool Congress (TMC), has denied the ED's allegation of "obstructing" its probe. The State's constabulary person registered an FIR against ED officers.
