NEW DELHI: Accusing West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and her officials of obstructing a raid at the I-PAC office and premises of its director Pratik Jain in Kolkata during the probe into the coal pilferage scam, the Enforcement Directorate has moved the Supreme Court seeking a CBI probe into the January 8 incident.
The ED alleged that Mamata entered the raid sites and took away “key” evidence, including physical documents and electronic devices from the premises of I-PAC and obstructed and interfered with the investigation into the case.
Her presence at the search site and the alleged removal of documents had an intimidating effect on officers and seriously compromised the probe agency’s ability to discharge its statutory functions independently, it alleged.
The ED’s petition is likely to be mentioned for an urgent hearing on Monday.
Alleging obstruction and non-cooperation by the state administration, the agency sought directions for an independent inquiry by the CBI, contending that a neutral central agency was necessary in view of the ‘interference’ by the state executive.
The West Bengal Government has already filed a caveat to pre-empt any ex-parte order against it.
In its caveat filed in the top court, the TMC government requested that no decision should be taken without giving it an opportunity to be heard.
A caveat, filed before a constitutional court, is meant to ensure that no adverse order is passed without hearing the party concerned.
The ED had on January 8 conducted raids on the premises of I-PAC and at the residence of its director Pratik Jain in Kolkata as part of a money-laundering probe into an alleged multi-crore coal pilferage case. Banerjee and others allegedly caused obstructions during the raid, the ED alleged.
Earlier, both the ED and the West Bengal Government had filed petitions against each other in the Calcutta High Court on the issue.
Accusing CM Mamata of “forcible theft” of “digital devices and documents”, the ED had urged the high court to order a CBI probe into the entire incident, including the role of the Chief Minister and senior police officers, such as state DGP Rajeev Kumar, Calcutta Police chief Manoj Verma and others. The state government had sought restraint on alleged misuse of seized data.
Justice Subhra Ghosh of the Calcutta High Court had on Friday walked out as he could not conduct proceedings in the din in his overcrowded courtroom packed with lawyers linked to both the TMC and BJP.
Acting Chief Justice Sujoy Paul declined to intervene in the matter as requested by the ED’s counsel and the matter was scheduled to come up for hearing before Justice Ghosh on January 14.