ED vs Mamata Banerjee: What transpired in Supreme Court during I-PAC raids hearing | Top developments
Notably, the ED approached the apex court for an urgent hearing in the alleged I-PAC coal scam case. In response, the Bengal government had filed a caveat in the Supreme Court, urging that no one-sided decision be made without hearing their side.
New Delhi: The battle between the Enforcement Directorate and the West Bengal government, led by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, has escalated with the Supreme Court hearing the arguments of both sides.
Notably, the ED approached the apex court for an urgent hearing in the alleged I-PAC coal scam case. The central probe agency filed an Article 32 petition, contending that CM Banerjee and her government obstructed its investigation into the matter. In response, the Bengal government had filed a caveat in the Supreme Court, urging that no one-sided decision be made without hearing their side.
SC 'disturbed' by chaos in Calcutta HC
During the hearing on Thursday, the SC stated that the chaos at the Calcutta High Court during the hearing related to the ongoing face-off between the two parties had "very much disturbed" it, and the court noted the matter to be a "serious issue".
Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, representing the ED, reiterated the central agency's accusation that CM Banerjee 'took evidence from the residence of IPAC co-founder Pratik Jain' and said, "This kind of act will encourage state police officers to aid and abet such cases." He also demanded the suspension of several top cops in Bengal, including Director General of Police Rajeev Kumar, who is reportedly known to be close to the state government.
SC bench issues notice to Bengal government
Slamming the chaos, Mehta told the bench of Justice Prashant Mishra and Justice Vipul Pancholi, "Now see what happens when mobocracy overtakes democracy. See what the High Court judge observes in the order. It notes a huge number of lawyers gathered, creating commotion. She stated that the environment in the court was not conducive to a hearing." Notably, the bench has issued a notice to the Bengal government and sought its response within two weeks. The bench has also restrained the Bengal Police from acting on the FIR filed against ED and its officials.
Kapil Sibal questions ED raid before Assembly polls
Senior Advocate Kapil Sibal, who was representing CM Banerjee at the hearing, raised a question about the timing of the ED raid at the I-PAC office just before the Assembly polls this year. Notably, I-PAC is the political consultant of the ruling Trinamool Congress in the state. He said, "The last statement in the coal scam was recorded in February 2024; what was ED doing since then? Why so keen in the midst of elections?”
He added, "Election data is confidential, and it is all kept there. There will be a lot of info on candidates, etc. Once you have the info, how do we fight the election? Banerjee has the right to protect it and thus went there."