4 months ago
1
The Supreme Court is scheduled connected January 15 to perceive a a petition filed by the Directorate of Enforcement (ED) for a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into the alleged obstruction of its raids astatine the offices of governmental consultancy steadfast I-PAC and its co-founder Pratik Jain successful Kolkata by West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, State officials and different individuals.
The petition is listed earlier a Bench of Justices Prashant Kumar Mishra and Vipul M. Pancholi.
The ED has arraigned the State of West Bengal, Ms. Banerjee, the State’s Director General of Police, the Kolkata Police Commissioner and the Deputy Commissioner of Police South Kolkata on with the CBI.
The State has already filed a caveat successful the lawsuit to forestall the passing of immoderate bid by the apex tribunal without proceeding it.
The proceeding would travel a time aft the Calcutta High Court, connected Wednesday (January 14, 2025), disposed of a Trinamool Congress petition aft the ED submitted that it had not seized thing from the premises of the I-PAC and Mr. Jain. The ED had blamed Ms. Banerjee for removing records and devices from the sites of the raids. The High Court, however, adjourned the ED plea against the obstruction of its raids aft Additional Solicitor General S.V. Raju, for the Central agency, informed astir the pendency of a akin petition successful the Supreme Court.
Ms. Banerjee has countered that the raids were a deliberate effort to derail the Trinamool Congress up of the Assembly elections successful 2026.The ruling enactment successful the State had consulted with the steadfast implicit the past fewer years. I-PAC had helped the enactment signifier its electoral and governmental strategy successful the 2021 Assembly predetermination and consequent elections successful West Bengal.
The anti-money laundering bureau argued that the involution of the Chief Minister, connected the different hand, had upset a lawful probe into ember smuggling. Vital evidence, some carnal and electronic, 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” done the amerciable involution of the State machinery, the ED has submitted successful its petition earlier the apex court.
The ED said that the raid was connected to a probe into a ember smuggling syndicate and entities linked to hawala money, and was conducted strictly successful accordance with established ineligible safeguards.
