The Trinamool Congress has accused the Enforcement Directorate of attempting to access its internal party activities and election plans during raids at locations linked to I-PAC. The TMC has moved the Calcutta High Court to challenge the legality of the searches.
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KOLKATA: The Trinamool Congress (TMC) and political consultancy firm Indian Political Action Committee (I-PAC) have moved the Calcutta High Court, challenging the legality of searches conducted by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) at multiple locations linked to the firm in Kolkata and Bidhannagar. The matter is scheduled for a hearing today.
The development comes amid a sharp political confrontation after ED officials carried out raids at I-PAC’s Salt Lake office, the residence of I-PAC head Pratik Jain in Kolkata, and the premises of a trader in the Posta area on Thursday. The searches were conducted in connection with an alleged money laundering probe linked to a coal smuggling case.
Earlier on Thursday, the Enforcement Directorate itself approached the Calcutta High Court alleging “illegal interference” during its search operations. The case was presented before Justice Suvra Ghosh, who allowed it to be filed.
According to the ED, searches were conducted at ten locations, six in Kolkata and four in Delhi, under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). The agency alleged that West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee entered Pratik Jain’s residence during the raid and removed “key evidence, including physical documents and electronic devices.”
The ED claimed that its operations were proceeding in a “peaceful and professional manner” until Banerjee arrived with senior state police officials. It further alleged that similar actions took place at the I-PAC office, where documents and electronic devices were allegedly taken away.
Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee denied the ED’s claims, terming the raids “most unfortunate”. She said the central agency was attempting to seize sensitive Trinamool Congress documents related to party activities and upcoming Assembly elections.
“I have collected the party file. The ED is trying to get details of all our party activities and plans, including candidate lists,”
Banerjee said, questioning whether it was the agency’s mandate to access internal party information.
She also alleged that the ED had raided the party’s IT-related office and searched the residence of a person in charge of TMC’s IT operations.
I-PAC, founded by political strategist Prashant Kishor, managed TMC’s successful campaign during the 2021 West Bengal Assembly elections. With the state expected to head for polls in the next three to four months, the raids have intensified political tensions between the ruling TMC and the BJP-led central government.
The ED, however, clarified that the searches were based on a First Information Report filed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) into an alleged coal smuggling syndicate involving illegal excavation of coal from Eastern Coalfields Limited (ECL) leasehold areas.
“The search is evidence-based and not targeted at any political establishment. No party office has been searched,”
the ED said in a statement.
Mamata Banerjee is set to lead a protest in Kolkata today against the ED raids. The Trinamool Congress has accused the central agency of political vendetta, while the ED maintains that its actions are part of a routine investigation under the law.
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Case Title:
ALL INDIA TRINAMOOL CONGRESS VS UNION OF INDIA AND ORS.
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