I-PAC raid row: Supreme Court to resume hearing on ED’s charge against Mamata Banerjee

I-PAC is associated with Banerjee’s All India Trinamool Congress (TMC), which is aiming for a fourth consecutive term in West Bengal.

A bench comprising Justices Prashant Kumar Mishra and N V Anjaria will hear the matter.

Appearing for the ED in the previous hearing, Additional Solicitor General S V Raju rejected allegations that the agency had “weaponised” its powers, instead claiming that its officials were “terrorised” in the state.

The controversy stems from a dramatic sequence of events in early January, when Banerjee personally reached Jain’s residence on Loudon Street hours after the raids began. She was accompanied by senior police officials, including then Kolkata Police Commissioner Manoj Kumar Verma.

Soon after arriving, the Chief Minister emerged carrying files, a laptop and a mobile phone, and launched a sharp attack on the Centre, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), and Union Home Minister Amit Shah.

Calling Shah a “nasty and naughty Home Minister”, Banerjee alleged that the ED was attempting to seize her party’s documents, and questioned what would happen if similar action was taken against the BJP.

She later visited I-PAC’s office in Salt Lake Sector V during the ongoing searches, where she secured certain files and documents and had them sent to her vehicle through security personnel.

Repeating her allegations, Banerjee claimed that key documents related to the TMC’s candidate list, election strategy and Special Intensive Revision (SIR) work had been “transferred” by the ED using a forensic team.