Mamata Banerjee pre-empts ED move, approaches Supreme Court
The Mamata Banerjee-led West Bengal government has moved the Supreme Court by filing a caveat, seeking to ensure that no order is passed without hearing the state’s side, amid strong indications that the Enforcement Directorate (ED) may soon approach the apex court in connection with the I-PAC controversy.
A caveat is a pre-emptive legal step taken to prevent any ex parte order. By filing it, the state government has signalled its intent to contest any relief sought by the ED, should the central agency move the Supreme Court over the recent raids and the ensuing political and legal confrontation.
The development comes in the wake of a high-voltage standoff between the Bengal government and the ED following searches at the Kolkata office of the Indian Political Action Committee (I-PAC) and at the residence of its director and co-founder, Pratik Jain. The ED carried out the raids as part of a money-laundering investigation linked to an alleged coal smuggling network and suspected hawala transactions.
The situation escalated dramatically when Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee herself reached the raid locations, accompanied by senior police officers. During the operation, documents and electronic devices were removed from the premises — a move the ED has alleged amounted to obstruction of its lawful search under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
In submissions before the Calcutta High Court, the ED claimed that the Chief Minister’s intervention interfered with an ongoing investigation and sought a court-monitored Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into the incident. The agency has also alleged intimidation of its officers and removal of potentially incriminating material during the searches.
The Trinamool Congress and the West Bengal government, however, have strongly denied the allegations, branding the raids as politically motivated. They have accused the ED of attempting to access and seize confidential party documents, including electoral strategy and candidate-related information, with an eye on disrupting the party’s preparations for the 2026 Assembly elections.
The state government has also approached the Calcutta High Court seeking the return of documents and digital material seized during the raids, arguing that the data is unrelated to any scheduled offence under the PMLA and that its seizure infringes upon democratic and constitutional rights.
By filing the caveat in the Supreme Court even before the ED formally moves the top court, the Bengal government aims to ensure that its legal position and political narrative are heard at the highest judicial forum as the confrontation with the central agency intensifies.
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