NEW DELHI, Apr 22: The Supreme Court of India on Wednesday cautioned West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee over alleged interference in searches conducted by the Enforcement Directorate at I-PAC in Kolkata, saying such actions could endanger democracy.
A bench of Justices Prashant Kumar Mishra and N.V. Anjaria made the observation while hearing petitions filed by the ED seeking a CBI probe against Banerjee and state police officials for allegedly obstructing the raid.
The court said the issue was not a Centre-state dispute but an individual act. “A Chief Minister cannot walk into an ongoing investigation and put democracy in peril,” the bench remarked.
According to the ED, Banerjee, accompanied by police personnel, entered the I-PAC office and the residence of its founder during the searches and allegedly removed key evidence, including electronic devices and documents.
The state government opposed the plea, arguing that allowing a central agency to invoke writ jurisdiction against a state would be harmful to the federal structure.
The matter is under consideration.
