The controversy surrounding the Enforcement Directorate’s raids at two locations linked to political consultancy firm I-PAC, and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s intervention during the searches, has now reached the Calcutta High Court. Both the ED and I-PAC have moved separate petitions before the court, as the issue sparked sharp political reactions in Kolkata on Thursday. The Trinamool Congress has also approached the single-judge bench of Justice Surva Ghosh.
In its petition, the TMC has challenged the legality of the ED’s action, claiming the searches were beyond the scope of the ongoing probe. The party maintained that the seized materials relate only to its election-related work, including campaign strategy, internal surveys, research inputs, organisational planning and electoral roll management for the West Bengal elections.
The TMC argued that the documents have no link to the offence under investigation or to any alleged proceeds of crime, and therefore fall outside the purview of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002.
The party further alleged that the raids were a pretext to gain access to confidential electoral data and political strategy, with the intent of disrupting the democratic process. It has sought a court declaration terming the ED’s actions illegal and directions for the immediate return of all seized documents.
Earlier in the day, the ED filed its own petition, stating that the searches were connected to the coal smuggling case in Bengal and accusing Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee of obstructing an official investigation.
I-PAC, founded by poll strategist-turned-politician Prashant Kishor, has also moved the court seeking a stay on the searches, which come months ahead of the Assembly elections in West Bengal.
ED alleges ‘forcible removal’ of documents
In a detailed statement, the ED alleged that Mamata Banerjee and her aides “forcibly removed” both physical files and electronic devices during the raids. According to the agency, searches at the residence of I-PAC head Prateek Jain and at the firm’s office were proceeding smoothly until the Chief Minister arrived, accompanied by a large police contingent.
The ED claimed that Mamata entered Jain’s residence and took away documents considered crucial to the investigation. Visuals from the spot showed the Chief Minister leaving the premises carrying a green file.
Addressing reporters later, Mamata Banerjee described the raids as “politically motivated” and alleged that the agency was attempting to “steal data” related to the TMC’s election strategy and candidate selection for the 2026 polls. She claimed the action was carried out at the direction of Union Home Minister Amit Shah.
The ED also said senior police officers, including the Kolkata Police Commissioner and the Deputy Commissioner of Police (South Kolkata), visited the premises to verify the identity of ED officials.
According to the agency, Mamata’s convoy then proceeded to I-PAC’s office in Salt Lake, where documents and electronic evidence were again allegedly removed, amounting to obstruction of an ongoing investigation under the PMLA.
The Chief Minister later staged a sit-in protest outside the I-PAC office before leaving around 5 pm. The TMC has since announced a large protest march on Friday.
Case cited by the ED
The ED has maintained that the searches were not politically motivated and were part of a money laundering investigation linked to the multi-crore coal smuggling case in West Bengal. The agency alleged that proceeds of crime worth around Rs 10 crore were routed to I-PAC through hawala channels.
According to the ED, I-PAC was paid by the TMC for consultancy services during the 2022 Goa Assembly elections. The case stems from a CBI FIR registered in Kolkata on November 27, 2020, against alleged coal smuggling kingpin Anup Majhi and others. The ED registered a case under the PMLA a day later.
Investigators claim Majhi ran a coal smuggling syndicate operating in leasehold areas of Eastern Coalfields Limited in Asansol district. The illegally mined coal was allegedly sold to factories and industrial units across several districts of Bengal, with a portion going to companies linked to the Shakambhari Group.
ED sources further alleged that funds generated from the alleged scam were paid to I-PAC on behalf of the TMC to finance the party’s campaign in Goa.