Kolkata, Jan 8 (NationPress) - On Thursday, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) filed a petition with a single-judge bench at the Calcutta High Court, alleging that West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has misused her constitutional authority by allegedly obstructing the official operations of central agency officials during raids conducted earlier the same day.

The ED claimed that while its teams were executing searches at the India Political Action Committee (I-PAC) office on the northern outskirts of Kolkata and at the residence of I-PAC co-founder Pratik Jain on Loudon Street, the Chief Minister arrived at both sites with senior officials from the West Bengal Police and Kolkata Police and purportedly removed files and electronic evidence from the locations.

Simultaneously, the ED issued a statement rejecting the Chief Minister’s assertion that the agency had taken documents belonging to the Trinamool Congress under the guise of conducting search operations at the two locations.

It has been reported that the single-judge bench presided over by Justice Suvra Ghosh accepted the ED’s petition, with the hearing set for Friday.

Earlier, two ED teams were conducting simultaneous raids at I-PAC’s office and Pratik Jain’s residence when the Chief Minister visited both sites in rapid succession. After her visits, she accused the ED officials of misconduct.

A few hours later, the ED clarified that its search operations were occurring at ten locations—six in West Bengal and four in Delhi—under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) concerning an alleged coal smuggling syndicate led by Anup Majee.

The agency also emphasized that the searches were unrelated to I-PAC's ties with any political entity, countering the Chief Minister's allegations.

It is worth noting that since 2020, I-PAC has served as the electoral strategy firm for the Trinamool Congress, particularly in preparation for the 2021 West Bengal Assembly elections.

The ED’s statement described, “The search was conducted smoothly until the arrival of the Chief Minister of West Bengal, accompanied by police personnel and officials from the West Bengal administration, who forcibly removed physical documents and electronic evidence from two premises. Such actions have obstructed an ongoing investigation and proceedings under the PMLA.”

The agency further affirmed that the search operations were not associated with any election, refuting the Chief Minister's claim that the ED's actions were connected to the upcoming West Bengal Assembly elections scheduled for later this year.

“We clarify that the search is evidence-based and is not aimed at any political establishment. No party office has been searched, and the operations are part of a routine crackdown on money laundering conducted in strict adherence to legal protocols,” the ED stated.

In light of these developments, the West Bengal BJP released a statement backing the ED, asserting that law enforcement agencies must operate without political interference.

The Bharatiya Janata Party in West Bengal reiterated its steadfast and principled stance that law enforcement must function independently, professionally, and free from political influence. “The law should be allowed to progress based solely on facts and evidence. Any attempt to politicize lawful investigative procedures or undermine constitutional authorities diminishes public confidence in institutions and the rule of law,” the party asserted.