New Delhi, Jan 10 (NationPress) The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has approached the Supreme Court with allegations that its concurrent raid and search actions on Thursday at the Indian Political Action Committee (I-PAC) office and the home of co-founder Pratik Jain were hindered by the West Bengal government and Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.

Requesting immediate judicial action, the Central anti-money laundering agency asserted that its officials encountered resistance during their operations and were obstructed from fulfilling their legal responsibilities.

The ED contends that the interference from West Bengal officials undermined the integrity of its investigation. In anticipation of the ED's petition, the West Bengal government has submitted a caveat to the Supreme Court, ensuring that no orders are made without considering its perspective.

This move aims to prevent any interim relief from being granted to the Central agency without the state's input. This development follows the Calcutta High Court's recent dismissal of the ED's request for an urgent hearing related to the raids.

The ED had sought an immediate hearing from Acting Chief Justice Sujoy Paul after a prior single-judge Bench session led by Justice Suvra Ghosh could not commence due to overcrowding in the courtroom.

The bench, led by Acting Chief Justice Paul, indicated that the hearing would take place on the previously established date, January 14, as set by Justice Ghosh.

In its petition to the Calcutta High Court, the ED accused the Chief Minister of misusing her constitutional authority by allegedly creating barriers to the official duties of the Central agency during the raids.

The ED additionally requested that the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) investigate the matter, including making the Chief Minister a respondent to its petition.

The agency further urged an inquiry into the involvement of senior police officials who were reportedly present with CM Mamata Banerjee at both locations while the ED operations were ongoing, and who allegedly departed with various documents and electronic files.

There were also two counter-petitions; one from Pratik Jain and another from the Trinamool Congress.

In its counter-petition, the Trinamool Congress claimed that as I-PAC is functioning as the party's voter-strategy agency, the ED's raid intended to seize documents related to its electoral strategy for the 2026 Assembly elections and potentially share this information with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).