The Calcutta High Court on Wednesday, January 14, disposed of a petition filed by the Trinamool Congress (TMC) challenging recent Enforcement Directorate
(ED) search operations at the office of political consultancy firm Indian Political Action Committee (I-PAC).
The Mamata Banerjee-led party had sought directions for the preservation and protection of what it described as confidential political data, alleging that such material had been seized by the central probe agency during the raids.
However, the ED informed the court that no documents, electronic devices or data were seized from the I-PAC office or from its director, Prateek Jain. Additional Solicitor General SV Raju, appearing for the agency, told the bench that it was the Chief Minister herself who removed files and devices from the premises.
Recording these submissions, Justice Ghosh observed that no seizure had been effected from the I-PAC office or Jain’s residence during the searches conducted on January 8. “In view of such submissions, nothing remains to be dealt with, and the application is disposed of,” the court said.
The ED had carried out search operations at 10 locations—six in West Bengal and four in Delhi—in connection with a money-laundering probe under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) linked to Anup Majee. The searches included the I-PAC office and Jain’s residence. I-PAC has been working with the TMC since the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.
The raids sparked a sharp political confrontation between the ruling TMC and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee rushed to the raid site and accused the BJP-led Centre of political vendetta, alleging that the ED was targeting her party ahead of elections and attempting to seize sensitive internal documents and election-related data.
In a press statement issued earlier, the ED claimed that Banerjee entered Jain’s residence on Loudon Road in Kolkata during the searches and “took away key evidence”, alleging similar actions at the I-PAC office. The following day, Banerjee led a large protest march in Kolkata, accusing the ED of acting as a political tool of the BJP and denying any wrongdoing during her visit to the premises.
Also Read: ED moves Supreme Court flagging Mamata Banerjee's interference during I-PAC raid
