I-PAC raids: SC to hear on Thursday ED's petition seeking CBI probe into alleged obstruction by Mamata
West Bengal government has filed caveat to pre-empt ex-parte order
The Supreme Court will take up on Thursday the Enforcement Directorate’s (ED) petition seeking a CBI probe against West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and certain state government officials for allegedly obstructing the agency’s raid at the I-PAC office and premises of its director Pratik Jain in Kolkata on January 8.
The ED’s petition is listed before a Bench of Justice Prashant Kumar Mishra and Justice Vipul M Pancholi for hearing on January 15.
The West Bengal government has already filed a caveat to pre-empt any ex-parte order against it.
In its caveat filed in the top court, the TMC Government requested that no decision should be taken without giving it an opportunity to be heard. A caveat, filed before a constitutional court, is meant to ensure that no adverse order is passed without hearing the party concerned.
Earlier, both the ED and the West Bengal government had filed petitions against each other in the Calcutta High Court on the issue.
The Calcutta High Court on Wednesday closed the TMC's plea against the ED after the agency said it seized nothing during I-PAC raids.
The ED has alleged that the CM Banerjee entered the raid sites and took away “key” evidence, including physical documents and electronic devices from the premises of I-PAC and obstructed and interfered with the investigation in the case. Her presence at the search site and the alleged removal of documents had an intimidating effect on officers and seriously compromised the probe agency’s ability to discharge its statutory functions independently, it alleged.
Obstruction and non-cooperation by the state administration and sought directions for an independent inquiry by the CBI, contending that a neutral central agency was necessary in view of the ‘interference’ by the state executive, the ED alleged.
The ED had on January 8 conducted raids at the premises of I-PAC and at the residence of its director Pratik Jain in Kolkata searches as a part of a money laundering probe into an alleged multi-crore coal pilferage case. Banerjee and others allegedly caused obstructions during the raid.
Accusing Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee of “forcible theft” of “digital devices and documents,” the ED had urged the high court to order a CBI probe into the entire incident, including the role of the chief minister and senior police officers, such as state DGP Rajeev Kumar, Calcutta Police chief Manoj Verma and others.
The state government had sought restraint on alleged misuse of seized data.
