New Delhi: In a major setback to the Mamata Banerjee government and the Kolkata Police, the Supreme Court on Thursday stayed the FIRs registered against Enforcement Directorate (ED) officers in connection with searches linked to political consultancy firm I-PAC.
A bench of Justice Prashant Mishra and Justice Vipul Pancholi also sought responses from the Ministry of Home Affairs, the Department of Personnel and Training, and the Trinamool Congress government in West Bengal on the ED’s plea seeking suspension of Bengal DGP Rajeev Kumar and Kolkata Police Commissioner Manoj Kumar Verma, among others.
The order came amid an escalating face-off between the ED and the Bengal government after state police registered cases against central agency officials following searches at premises linked to I-PAC, which manages election campaigns for the Trinamool Congress, in a corruption probe.
Observing that the matter raises serious concerns, the Supreme Court said it was prima facie of the view that the ED’s petition involved issues relating to investigation and alleged interference by state agencies. “There are larger questions which emerge and if not answered shall lead to lawlessness. If central agencies are working bona fide to probe a serious offence, can they be obstructed by party activities?” the bench said, listing the matter for further hearing on February 3.
Earlier in the day, the top court expressed that it was “very much disturbed” by the chaos witnessed in the Calcutta High Court during a hearing linked to the ED–Bengal government confrontation.
Appearing for the ED, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta accused Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and state officials of interfering with the probe, alleging that evidence was removed from the residence of I-PAC co-founder Pratik Jain. Calling the situation “mobocracy,” Mehta sought suspension of senior Bengal police officers, arguing that such actions would encourage state police to aid and abet interference in central investigations.
The bench questioned whether the Calcutta High Court had been turned into “Jantar Mantar,” with Mehta claiming that a WhatsApp message mobilised lawyers to disrupt proceedings on January 9. He urged the Supreme Court to settle the issue conclusively, saying such incidents were not unprecedented.
Defending Banerjee, senior advocate Kapil Sibal questioned the timing of the ED’s action ahead of Assembly elections, noting that the last development in the coal scam case was in February 2024. He said I-PAC handles confidential election data under a formal contract with the TMC and argued that the Chief Minister had the right to protect such information.
Senior advocate Abhishek Singhvi, appearing for the Bengal government and the DGP, contended that the ED had approached both the Calcutta High Court and the Supreme Court on the same issue. While acknowledging the January 9 incident, he said emotions sometimes run high, to which the bench remarked that emotions “cannot go out of hand repeatedly.” (Agencies)
