Mamata Banerjee’s ‘barging’ into I-PAC raids site a ‘gross abuse’ of power, ED tells Supreme Court

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has launched an all-out attack in the Supreme Court on West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee for her “gross and flagrant abuse” of power by “illegally entering” the area where ongoing raids were taking place at the offices of political consultancy firm I-PAC along with senior police officers on January 8.

The ED has sought a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) against Ms. Banerjee and senior police officials for carrying electronic devices and materials admitted as evidence in a coal smuggling case worth Rs 2,742 crore and related charges of money laundering.

The State of West Bengal and Ms. Banerjee argued that the raids were carried out without the permission of the State Police and were designed to retrieve confidential material related to I-PAC and the ruling Trinamool Congress, which consulted its founder Pratik Jain, whose houses were searched by the central agency.

Also Read | Mamata Banerjee destroyed crucial evidence during raids in coal ‘scam’ case against I-PAC official: ED

The ED, however, rejected the State’s opposition that the CM and the police contingent had intervened to prevent “gunmen impersonating Central agency officials” from conducting warrantless searches. In its response, the central agency stated that the emergency service officers duly showed their identity cards and search warrants to the police officers.

The ED said the police gave the Prime Minister permission, even escorted him to the building where an active search was ongoing, and forcibly removed incriminating materials.

“The persons took away the documents collected and indexed by the ED officers. The backup process for the computer and email dump was also stopped midway. With the help of state police officers, Ms. Banerjee forcibly took away the computer installed in the premises. The state police forcibly took away the mobile phones of the employees of M/s Indian PAC Consulting Pvt. Ltd., who were on the premises on the instructions of Ms. Banerjee. They took away the laptop of the ED officer and the ED stated that the officer took the mobile phone and returned it after two hours. The laptop and the mobile phone were recovered.” “Taking him and keeping him for two hours means theft,” he said.

Also Read | ED tried to seize TMC’s internal data during raid on I-PAC chief’s house, Mamata alleges

It was stated that Ms. Banerjee, along with Z-plus security personnel, people in plainclothes and senior officers of the Kolkata Police, entered the building “completely disregarding the already ongoing legal proceedings”.

“The heavy presence of police personnel numbering up to hundreds indicates pressure exerted by the State Police and interference by ED officers with a lawful search under the PMLA… The manner of entry by which documents and incriminating material were forcibly seized and removed from the premises, despite repeated requests from ED officers to refrain, constituted a clear show of force and numerical strength… No investigating agency would normally allow a third party to enter the premises where a search in progress is taking place and take away the materials,” the ED said.

The ED rejected Ms. Banerjee’s claim that the material seized by her contained only confidential and proprietary information of the All India Trinamool Congress (AITC).

Also Read | Congress leader claims I-PAC acts as TMC’s ‘eyes, ears’ and questions ED raidv

“Once such materials are forcibly taken and taken away, it becomes difficult to determine what was taken and whether they are only confidential and proprietary information of the party or whether they also contain information related to the crime being investigated by the emergency service,” the response said.

The ED said it was “extremely shocking” that the Home Minister went on a legal raid and gave a “clean tip” to the CM who stopped him.

“A bare perusal of the facts will reveal gross abuse of power by the State machinery of the State of West Bengal. Senior officials of the State Police colluded and obstructed the ED officials from discharging their duties under the PMLA in the private interests of the Chief Minister of West Bengal, Ms. Mamta Banerjee,” the ED stressed.

Also Read | Emergency services director in Kolkata, days after Mamata intervened in raids on I-PAC owner’s home and offices

Further, the ED said that “there is no information available in public that any office of AITC is located in the premises of Indian-PAC Consulting Private Limited, nor is there any visible signage or any form of display in the name of AITC.”

He said material evidence has been collected to reveal that the proceeds of crime arising from illegal coal mining were used through inter-state hawala networks, layered through a chain of facilitators, converted into cash in Goa and handed over to persons running the business and transferred into the operational framework of IPAC.

“The search was carried out under these conditions,” the Emergency Service said.

It was published – 19 February 2026 15:36 IST