Did BJP Celebrate Calcutta HC's Ruling on ED's I-PAC Raid?
Synopsis
Key Takeaways
- BJP welcomes the Calcutta High Court's ruling.
- The court dismissed the Trinamool's accusations against the ED.
- Justice Ghosh emphasized the legality of the ED's operations.
- This ruling puts pressure on Mamata Banerjee's administration.
- The case is likely to escalate to the Supreme Court.
Kolkata, Jan 14 (NationPress) The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) expressed its approval on Wednesday regarding the ruling issued by the Calcutta High Court, which dismissed a petition from the Trinamool Congress. This petition accused the Enforcement Directorate (ED) of obtaining sensitive party documents during the concurrent raids conducted at the Indian Political Action Committee's (I-PAC) office and the residence of co-founder Pratik Jain on January 8.
The single-judge bench, led by Justice Suvra Ghosh, concluded that the ED officials could not seize any items from the two locations during their operation.
In a statement shared on his official social media, BJP's Information Technology Cell chief and the party's central observer for West Bengal, Amit Malviya, characterized the High Court’s decision as a significant setback for Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.
“The Calcutta High Court has nullified Mamata Banerjee's objections against the Enforcement Directorate, providing a strong reprimand for her apparent interference. After her audacious intrusion into a live ED raid regarding a coal smuggling and money laundering investigation—where she attempted to intimidate central agencies on live camera—the judiciary has now firmly established her limits,” Malviya stated on social media.
Malviya further accused the Chief Minister of demonstrating her disregard for the rule of law and a desperate attempt to conceal corruption.
“Constitutional authorities cannot be cowed down by political drama, and the High Court has made that abundantly clear. Now it's over to the Supreme Court,” Malviya remarked.
On that day, Justice Ghosh’s bench also postponed the hearing on the primary petition lodged by the ED, which alleges that the Chief Minister misused her constitutional authority by allegedly obstructing the official duties of ED officials during the January 8 searches.
Additional Solicitor General S.V. Raju requested an adjournment, mentioning that an ED petition on the same matter is currently pending before the Supreme Court.
As of the time this report was generated, there had been no response from the Trinamool Congress.