New Delhi, Feb 18 (NationPress) The Enforcement Directorate (ED) informed the Supreme Court on Wednesday that it has been "terrorised" in West Bengal, leading the apex court to adjourn the hearing on its petition alleging that the state government and Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee interfered with recent search operations at the office of the political consultancy firm Indian Political Action Committee (I-PAC) and the home of its co-founder Pratik Jain in Kolkata.

During the proceedings, Additional Solicitor General S.V. Raju, representing the federal anti-money laundering agency, vehemently denied claims that the ED had "weaponised" its authorities.

The statements arose after senior advocate Siddharth Luthra argued that the ED must validate the "weaponisation" of its powers.

"It (the ED) has not been weaponised; it has been terrorised," ASG Raju stated.

Following a comment from Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, the second-highest law officer for the Center, indicating that the ED is expected to submit its rebuttal soon, a bench of Justices Prashant Kumar Mishra and K.V. Viswanathan scheduled the matter for further proceedings on March 18.

The hearing was postponed last week due to the illness of senior advocate Kapil Sibal.

During the brief session, SG Mehta informed the apex court about Sibal’s unavailability.

"I can’t oppose on this ground. If it can be kept on February 18," the second-highest law officer for the Center remarked.

Acquiescing to the request, the bench led by Justice Mishra postponed the case for further hearing on February 18.

The ED has turned to the top court asking for instructions to file FIRs against Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, the state Director General of Police (DGP), and the Kolkata Police Commissioner, claiming they obstructed legal duties during the agency’s coordinated search operations.

In her counter-affidavit, CM Banerjee denied all allegations of interference, asserting that her limited presence on the premises was merely to recover confidential data belonging to her Trinamool Congress (AITC).

According to the affidavit, CM Banerjee visited Pratik Jain’s residence on Loudon Street and I-PAC’s office in Bidhannagar on January 8, 2026, after learning that sensitive political data of the Trinamool was being accessed during the searches. She stated that the data was "vitally linked to the AITC’s strategy for the upcoming Legislative Assembly election."

The affidavit noted that upon her arrival, she "politely requested the Enforcement Directorate officials to allow her to recover the Party’s data and the devices they were stored in, as well as files containing prints of the same."

It further claimed that "the officers of the Enforcement Directorate present did not object to her request and permitted her to retrieve some of these devices and documents."

"After she had done so, the Answering Respondent (CM Banerjee) exited the premises to avoid inconveniencing the Enforcement Directorate officials in any way," the counter affidavit explained, adding that the ED’s own documents confirm that the searches continued afterwards in a "peaceful and orderly manner."

CM Banerjee also contended that neither the Trinamool nor its officials are implicated in the alleged coal scam, thus the ED cannot claim rights over the party’s proprietary data.

The counter affidavit accused the ED of acting with malicious intent, alleging that the searches occurred just before the 2026 West Bengal Assembly elections and after a long period of inaction.

It questioned the timing of the operations, asserting that they coincided with I-PAC having "critical documents," including a list of proposed candidates for the elections.

Claiming violations of statutory protections under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), the affidavit also stated that the ED failed to produce any audio or video evidence of the searches, suggesting a "strong presumption" that the searches were covert and aimed at obtaining confidential political data.

Earlier, on January 15, the Supreme Court had halted the FIRs filed by the West Bengal Police against ED officials linked to the searches and directed the preservation of CCTV footage and other digital storage devices containing recordings from the searched locations and nearby areas.