‘Obstruction by CM’, cries agency, moves Calcutta HC

KOLKATA: Calcutta High Court on Thursday granted permission to Enforcement Directorate to file a case alleging “obstruction” caused by chief minister Mamata Banerjee during its searches relating to a 2020 coal-scam case. Amongst the six premises searched in Bengal by ED on Thursday were the office of political consultancy firm I-PAC in Sector V and the Loudon Street residence of its director Pratik Jain.


Justice Suvra Ghosh allowed the central agency to file the petition and mention the same on Friday for hearing.




In an official statement, ED claimed the search was related to a Nov 28, 2020 ECIR based on a CBI FIR against Anup Majee alias Lala and others in a coal-smuggling case. The central agency said the coal-smuggling syndicate led by Majee illegally excavated coal from ECL leasehold areas and sold it to various factories located in Bankura, Burdwan and Purulia among other districts. It claimed I-PAC’s name popped up in the probe when it was found that one of the “hawala” operators “had facilitated transactions of tens of crores of rupees to Indian PAC Consulting Private Limited”, the registered company of I-PAC. “I-PAC is also one of the entities linked to hawala money,” the agency said.


“Proceedings were being conducted in a peaceful and professional manner, till the arrival of West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee along with a large number of police officials. Banerjee entered the residential premises of Pratik Jain, and took away key evidence including physical documents and electronic devices,” the statement said.


The ED statement added that the CM’s convoy then proceeded to I-PAC’s office premises, from where Banerjee, her aides and the state police personnel forcibly removed physical documents and electronic evidence. “The above actions have resulted in obstruction in ongoing investigation and proceedings under the PMLA,” it said.


The agency also claimed that during one of the searches, the deputy commissioner of police, South Kolkata, and other senior cops came to the premises to verify the ED officials.


“It is clarified that the search is evidence-based and not targeted at any political establishment. No party office has been searched. The search is not linked to any elections, and is part of a regular crackdown on money-laundering,” the statement added.