NEW DELHI: The law enforcement agency on Saturday moved the Supreme Court alleging interference and obstruction by the Mamata Banerjee-led West Bengal government in search operations at the Kolkata headquarters of political consultancy firm Indian Political Action Committee (I-PAC) and the residence of its director Pratik Jain. Meanwhile, the state government has filed a caveat and sought to be heard before passing any adverse order.The Bengal government’s reservation came after the ED conducted searches at I-PAC’s office and Jain’s residence on Thursday as part of a money laundering probe in connection with an alleged multi-crore-rupee coal heist scam. A caveat allows a party to ensure that no order is made without giving them an opportunity to present their case.The ED has blamed this chief minister Mamata Banerjee invaded the raids and confiscated so-called “important” evidence, including physical documents and electronic devices. Banerjee rejected the allegations and accused the central authority of exaggerations.On Friday, the ED approached the Calcutta High Court seeking judicial intervention and accused the state police, allegedly in collusion with the chief minister, of obstructing its officials during the search operation on January 8. In its written application, the agency said the police failed in its public duty in “blatant and flagrant disregard of the law” and prevented ED officials from exercising their powers under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002.The Calcutta High Court adjourned the hearing in ED versus Trinamool Congress The matter lasted until January 14, 2026, citing an unfavorable atmosphere in the courtroom due to severe congestion caused by the presence of a large number of lawyers.In its 28-page petition, the ED alleged that the situation escalated after the chief minister entered Pratik Jain’s living quarters during the search and removed incriminating material. The agency said it invoked the Supreme Court’s jurisdiction to “strengthen public confidence” in the functioning of the state administration and to immediately stop what it described as the “over-engineering” of the state police and the prime minister.The raids and subsequent trial sparked sharp political reactions. The West Bengal unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party questioned I-PAC’s role in the functioning of the state government after Banerjee said the company was an authorized team of the All India Trinamool Congress.In a post onCalling it a constitutional matter, the BJP alleged that bureaucrats appeared to be reporting to a private agency and sought clarification from the chief minister. “This is a direct challenge to the Constitution where the bureaucracy appears to be under a private agency. In the past, we have also seen bureaucrats sending emails to IPAC workers to decide the election campaign of the West Bengal government. Mamata Banerjee is accountable to the people of West Bengal and should clarify whether an agency from outside the state, staffed with people from other states, is interfering in the functioning of the government,” it said the post.Earlier on Friday, several Trinamool Congress MPs were arrested in New Delhi while protesting outside Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s office against the ED raid on the I-PAC office. Banerjee condemned the detentions and described the actions in a post
