'Serious indictment' of Mamata Banerjee: BJP over SC observation on ED plea in I-PAC raid case

New Delhi: The BJP on Thursday termed the Supreme Court's observations on the ED's petition alleging obstructions during raids at I-PAC premises a "serious indictment" of West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and her government, alleging that she used the state machinery to shield those accused of coal smuggling and money laundering.

It came after the top court described the Enforcement Directorate's (ED) allegation that Banerjee caused "obstruction" in its probe as "very serious" and agreed to examine whether a state's law-enforcing agencies can interfere with any central agency's investigation into any serious offence.

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The top court stayed the FIR filed in West Bengal against ED officials who raided the Indian Political Action Committee (I-PAC) office and the residence of its director, Pratik Jain, on January 8 and directed the state police to protect the CCTV footage of the raids.

A bench of Justices Prashant Kumar Mishra and Vipul Pancholi issued notices to Banerjee, the West Bengal government, Director General of Police (DGP) Rajeev Kumar and top cops on the ED's petitions seeking a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe against them for allegedly obstructing raids at I-PAC premises.

Also Read: I-PAC raids- SC stays FIRs against ED officers; TMC cites election-time misuse

Reacting to the development, BJP co-in-charge for West Bengal Amit Malviya said, "This is a serious indictment of West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and her government."

In a "stinging" observation, the Supreme Court noted that the plea raises serious issues of alleged interference by state agencies in an ongoing ED investigation, he said.

The court warned that obstruction of central agencies probing grave economic offences could lead to lawlessness, he said in a post on X.

Malviya further said that when a chief minister uses the state machinery to shield those accused of coal smuggling and money laundering, and to intimidate central agencies, the Supreme Court's intervention becomes "inevitable".

Banerjee's conduct during the ED raids at I-PAC premises was not governance but abuse of power to protect corruption.

The ED's plea in the apex court follows events from January 8, when ED officials faced obstructions during the probe agency's raids at the office of the political consultancy firm I-PAC in Salt Lake and the residence of its chief, Pratik Jain, in Kolkata in connection with a coal smuggling case.

The probe agency has claimed that Banerjee entered the premises and took away "key" evidence related to the probe.

The chief minister has accused the central agency of overreach, while her party, the Trinamool Congress (TMC), has denied the ED's allegation of "obstructing" its probe. The state's police have registered an FIR against ED officers.