The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has moved the Supreme Court seeking a CBI probe against West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee for allegedly disrupting an ongoing investigation at the political consultancy firm I-PAC, linked to a coal smuggling case. The plea filed by the Enforcement Directorate in the SC also demands the return of documents and electronic material, which, according to the ED, she had taken from the residential premises of I-PAC’s co-founder Pratik Jain while the raid was underway.
The apex court is yet to hear the matter.
Also, the state machinery has filed a caveat before the Supreme Court, seeking to ensure that no orders are passed without affording the state government a hearing.
ED accuses Mamata of derailing a lawful probe
The central agency has accused Mamata Banerjee of interfering in its search operations at the I-PAC offices in Kolkata. The agency has claimed that the intervention from the state machinery prevented officers from conducting their duties as per law.
According to the ED, her intervention led to ‘a complete derailment of a lawful investigation’ by a statutory authority.
TMC continues to defend I-PAC
The Chief Minister has come in full support of the political consultancy firm and attacked the central agency for conducting search operations at the direction of the BJP-led central government. She called the ED raids at I-PAC ‘a politically motivated’ action.
Mamata Banerjee accused the ED’s Forensic Team of transferring crucial data and taking some hard disks, along with financial and political papers, from the I-PAC office.
#WATCH | Kolkata | On the ED raids at the IPAC office in Kolkata, West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee says, “… I heard that ED’s Forensic Team had come and they transferred some data. They took our hard disk, our financial papers, political papers… BJP has lakhs and crores of… pic.twitter.com/g66y7sedh1
— ANI (@ANI) January 8, 2026
TMC Chairperson Mamata Banerjee also led a rally following the ED raid on I-PAC.
#WATCH | Kolkata | TMC Chairperson and West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee leads a rally following the ED raid on I-PAC yesterday. pic.twitter.com/puAMdQLKB3
— ANI (@ANI) January 9, 2026
Last week, the All India Trinamool Congress (TMC) had filed a petition before the Calcutta High Court in the matter, seeking directions to restrain the ED from leaking any party-related information. The Division Bench of the High Court will hear the petition on 14 January.