West Bengal Government questions maintainability of ED plea in Supreme Court on I-PAC case
The Hindu
West Bengal Government questions ED's Supreme Court plea regarding I-PAC amid ongoing Calcutta High Court case.
The West Bengal Government has questioned the Directorate of Enforcement (ED )’s move to approach the Supreme Court seeking a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into the alleged obstruction of its raids at the offices of political consultancy firm I-PAC by West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and State officials.
The State asked whether the petition was maintainable when a similar case was pending before the Calcutta High Court urging identical grounds of challenge.
A Bench headed by Justice Prashant Kumar Mishra had, on January 15, stayed the Kolkata Police probe against ED officials who conducted searches at I-PAC office and the residence of its co-founder Pratik Jain on January 8.
The State police investigation had been based on allegations that sensitive election records of the State’s ruling Trinamool Congress, which consults I-PAC on electoral and political strategy, were “stolen” by the Central agency officials during the raids. The complaints were lodged against the ED at Shakespeare Sarani Police Station and Bidhannagar Electronic Complex Police Station.
Filing its response to the ED petition, the State Government said there cannot be “parallel proceedings” before the High Court and the Supreme Court. It said the Central agency did not have the fundamental right to file a writ petition before the top court. The State argued that the ED did not have the power to conduct “omnibus search and seizure” and that the agency had violated privileged communications.
The ED has sought a CBI probe against State and police personnel for obstructing raids, which were part of an investigation into a ₹2,742-crore coal smuggling case. The Bench, in its order, said the case raises “serious” issues relating to the scope of the investigations carried out by Central agencies like the ED and interference by State agencies.
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West Bengal Government questions ED's Supreme Court plea regarding I-PAC amid ongoing Calcutta High Court case.