The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Friday moved Calcutta High Court alleging obstruction during its search operation at the Kolkata office of political consultancy firm I-PAC, triggering a fresh political storm in West Bengal.
Ahead of the hearing, Leader of Opposition in Bengal Assembly, Suvendu Adhikari levelled explosive corruption allegations, claiming that Rs 16 crore of “tainted money” had been transferred to I-PAC’s bank account.
Describing the alleged interference during the ED raid as a “criminal offence”, Mr Adhikari demanded strict legal action. The ED had conducted searches at the I-PAC office on Thursday in connection with its probe into the coal smuggling case.
In its petition before the high court, the ED has sought judicial intervention, alleging that its officers were prevented from carrying out lawful duties. Mr Adhikari echoed the agency’s stand, asserting that the incident amounted to a serious violation of law. At a Press briefing on Friday morning, the BJP leader alleged that corruption linked to the Centre’s Jal Jeevan Mission was at the root of the case. According to him, West Bengal received nearly Rs 8,000 crore under the scheme, but “no meaningful work was done on the ground”.
He further claimed that in 2021, a private agency was awarded a contract worth Rs 170 crore, and from that amount, Rs 16 crore was allegedly transferred from a bank in Kakdwip to I-PAC’s account. Mr Adhikari even cited what he said were specific cheque numbers linked to the transaction.
The Opposition leader also sought to counter the Chief Minister’s claim that she had removed sensitive material from the ED’s possession. “She could not take away anything substantial. The proposed candidate list she mentioned is already with many people. As for the laptop she carried, nobody knows what it contained,” Mr Adhikari said.
Senior BJP MP and former Union minister Ravi Shankar Prasad today came down heavily on Ms Banerjee, calling her actions “irresponsible and unconstitutional”.
Ms Banerjee, however, defended her intervention, alleging misuse of central agencies. She questioned the ED’s authority to seize party documents, including hard disks, candidate lists and strategic data, and accused Union home minister Amit Shah of orchestrating a political vendetta. The legal and political battle is now set to intensify with the Calcutta High Court’s intervention.