ED Allegations Against Mamata Banerjee in Supreme Court
- ED allegations cite phone theft during I-PAC raids
- ED allegations heard as Supreme Court notes court chaos
Hyderabad: ED allegations against West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee reached the Supreme Court, with the Enforcement Directorate accusing her of interfering during searches linked to political consultancy I-PAC. The agency alleged that an ED officer’s phone was taken during the inspections. The petition came up for hearing on Thursday, January 15, before the Supreme Court.
According to the ED, the searches took place at the I-PAC headquarters and the residence of its director, Prateek jain. The agency alleged that Mamata Banerjee, along with senior police officers, forcibly entered the I-PAC office and the residence of its director Pratika jain during the inspections. The ED claimed that crucial evidence related to the coal smuggling scam was taken away. Solicitor General tushar mehta argued on behalf of the ED and told the court that Mamata Banerjee stole the phone of an ED officer.
ED allegations raise concerns over officer safety and raids
During the hearing, the Solicitor General drew the court’s attention to earlier incidents in Bengal. He referred to instances of stone pelting on CBI officers in the past. He said such incidents stop officers from doing their duties and also affect the morale of central forces. Therefore, he urged the Supreme Court to suspend the senior police officers who allegedly entered the scene illegally during the ED raids. He also sought a departmental inquiry against them.
Meanwhile, the court heard submissions about events in the Calcutta High Court. It was stated that the TMC created chaos during the hearing of the ED petition on January 9. The disruption reportedly forced the judge to adjourn the hearing and leave. Responding to this, the Supreme Court expressed deep dissatisfaction. The court said the chaos in the Calcutta High Court was disturbing. It described the incident as a serious problem. The court also said it intends to issue a notice in this regard.
ED allegations countered by Mamata Banerjee counsel
Senior advocate Kapil Sibal appeared for Mamata Banerjee and questioned the timing of the ED action. He asked why the ED went to Bengal before the West Bengal assembly elections. He said the last development in the coal scam case took place in February 2024. He added that the ED was conducting searches in the same case after two years.
Kapil Sibal also told the court that there is an agreement between AIPAC and the TMC. He said all data related to TMC election strategies is kept in the AIPAC office. Therefore, he argued that Mamata Banerjee went there as the head of the TMC party during the ED raids. The Supreme Court heard the arguments as the matter continued.
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