The Enforcement Directorate has approached the Calcutta High Court seeking permission to move a petition alleging interference in an ongoing money laundering investigation, after West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee arrived at the residence of political consultant Pratik Jain during a raid on Thursday. The development was reported by PTI.
According to the probe agency, searches were carried out at ten locations on the same day as part of a money laundering case linked to West Bengal. Six of these locations were in the state, while four were in Delhi. Among the places searched were the Kolkata office of the Indian Political Action Committee and the south Kolkata residence of its co founder and director Pratik Jain.
The Indian Political Action Committee, commonly known as I PAC, provides political consultancy services to the ruling Trinamool Congress in West Bengal and also manages the party’s information technology and media operations.
The situation escalated when Mamata Banerjee reached Jain’s residence during the raid and alleged that the agency was attempting to confiscate sensitive party documents and electronic storage devices containing details related to the Trinamool Congress’s election strategy.
Following this intervention, the counsel representing the Enforcement Directorate brought the matter to the attention of Justice Suvra Ghosh of the Calcutta High Court. The agency sought the court’s permission to file a formal petition claiming that its investigation had been obstructed and requesting safeguards to allow it to proceed without interference.
In its submission, the Enforcement Directorate alleged that the chief minister entered Jain’s home while the search was in progress and removed crucial evidence, including physical records and electronic devices. The agency further claimed that Banerjee later went to the I PAC office in Salt Lake along with her aides and police personnel, where documents and electronic material were forcibly taken away.
The agency maintained that these actions, along with the presence of the Kolkata Police commissioner at Jain’s residence, created hurdles in the investigation being conducted under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act.
Rejecting allegations that the raids were politically driven, the Enforcement Directorate clarified that the searches were carried out solely on the basis of evidence. It stressed that no political party office had been targeted and that the action was not connected to any election. The agency said the operation was part of a routine effort to curb money laundering and was conducted strictly in line with legal procedures and safeguards.
