I-PAC raids: ED moves SC alleging obstruction, Bengal govt files caveat
According to the Enforcement Directorate, its searches at the premises of I-PAC director Pratik Jain were disrupted after West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee allegedly intervened and removed crucial material, including official files, hard disks and mobile phones, from the agency's officers. The ED had earlier moved the Calcutta High Court in connection with the incident, with the matter listed for hearing on January 14.
New Delhi: The legal battle over the Enforcement Directorate’s raids against political consultancy firm Indian Political Action Committee (I-PAC) has reached the Supreme Court of India, with both the central agency and the West Bengal government moving the top court in parallel.
While the Enforcement Directorate has approached the Supreme Court alleging obstruction during its searches in Kolkata, the West Bengal government has filed a caveat, seeking to ensure that no order is passed without hearing its side. A caveat is a legal mechanism that allows a party to be heard before any adverse or interim order is issued.
ED alleges obstruction during raids
The ED has accused West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee of intervening during searches at the residence of I-PAC director Pratik Jain and later at the firm’s Salt Lake office, and of taking away key evidence, including official files, hard disks and mobile phones, from ED officers.
Earlier, the ED had moved the Calcutta High Court over the same issue. The high court is scheduled to hear the matter on January 14. In its plea, the ED has sought a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe, alleging serious interference in its investigation.
Coal scam money trail
The searches were conducted on January 8, 2026, at around 10 locations, six in Kolkata and Bidhannagar and four in Delhi, as part of a money laundering probe under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act. The case is linked to an alleged coal pilferage and smuggling scam in West Bengal, dating back to around 2020, involving a syndicate allegedly led by Anup Majhi alias ‘Lala’, accused of illegally excavating coal from Eastern Coalfields Limited areas in the Asansol region.
According to the ED, proceeds from the alleged scam, running into crores of rupees, were laundered through hawala channels, with at least ₹20 crore allegedly routed to I-PAC’s registered entity, Indian PAC Consulting Pvt Ltd. The agency has claimed that some of these funds were used during the Goa elections between 2021 and 2022, and that Pratik Jain is under scrutiny for his alleged role in these transactions.
The Trinamool Congress has rejected the ED’s allegations, claiming the raids were politically motivated and aimed at accessing the party’s internal election strategy and organisational data ahead of the 2026 West Bengal Assembly elections.