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.
ED raids on I-PAC: Bengal Govt files caveat in Supreme Court
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.
