Kolkata (West Bengal) [India], January 10 : The Calcutta High Court on Friday adjourned the hearing in the Enforcement Directorate (ED) versus Trinamool Congress (TMC) matter, citing an unconducive atmosphere in the courtroom, and posted the case for hearing on January 14, 2026.
The courtroom witnessed heavy congestion with the presence of a large number of lawyers.
The plea was filed by ED amid high political drama in West Bengal, which unfolded on Thursday after Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee reached the offices of political consultancy firm I-PAC even as the ED was carrying out search operations in connection with the 2020 coal smuggling case.
In a writ petition filed before the Calcutta High Court, the ED on Friday accused the West Bengal Police, allegedly acting in collusion with Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, of obstructing its officials and failing to discharge their public duty in "flagrant and blatant disregard to law" during an ongoing search operation in Kolkata carried out on January 8.
In the 28-page petition, the ED said the state police prevented its officers from carrying out their official duties under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002.
The agency alleged that the situation escalated after the Chief Minister on Thursday entered the residential premises of Prateek Jain, director of political consultancy firm I-PAC, during an ED search and took away what the agency described as "key evidence", including physical documents and electronic devices.
The ED said it approached the High Court to invoke its writ jurisdiction to "instil public confidence" in the functioning of the state administration and to immediately stop what it termed as "overreach" by the state police and the Chief Minister.
Meanwhile, reacting to Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's remarks that I-PAC was not a private organisation but an authorised team of the All India Trinamool Congress (AITC), the Bharatiya Janata Party's West Bengal raised sharp objections and questioned the alleged role of the political consultancy firm in the functioning of the state government.
In a post on X, BJP West Bengal said, "Mamata Banerjee said that IPAC is in charge of Trinamool. It is their internal matter if they want a private agency to run the party and decide tickets and organisational positions. But what were Government of West Bengal documents doing in the IPAC office? Is IPAC intervening in the functioning of the West Bengal government?
The party termed it a "direct challenge to the Constitution", alleging that bureaucrats appeared to be reporting to a private agency, and demanded clarification from the Chief Minister on whether an agency from outside the state was influencing governance.
"This is a direct challenge to the Constitution, where the bureaucracy appears to be reporting to a private agency. In the past also, we have seen emails sent by bureaucrats to IPAC employees to decide the campaign of the West Bengal government. Mamata Banerjee is accountable to the people of West Bengal and should clarify whether an agency from outside the state, staffed by people from other states, is intervening in the functioning of the government," the post further read.
https://x.com/BJP4Bengal/status/2009585239493075328
Earlier in the day, several Trinamool Congress (TMC) MPs were detained in the national capital on Friday for protesting outside Union Home Minister Amit Shah's office against the ED raid on the I-PAC office.
Condemning the detentions, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, in a post on X, termed the action "shameful and unacceptable", accusing the BJP of "double standards" in its treatment of protests by ruling party leaders and opposition MPs.