New Delhi, April 22 (IANS) The Supreme Court is scheduled to hear a plea filed by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) against West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday in connection with the Indian Political Action Committee (I-PAC) raid case. The hearing forms part of an ongoing legal dispute over allegations that the Chief Minister interfered in an ED search operation conducted at the premises of the Indian Political Action Committee.The matter traces back to raids carried out by the ED on January 8 as part of a multi-crore money laundering investigation linked to an alleged coal smuggling scam.According to the agency, Mamata Banerjee, accompanied by more than 100 police personnel and senior officials, entered the I-PAC office as well as the residence of its founder, Pratik Jain, while the searches were underway.The ED has alleged that she unauthoritatively removed key evidence during the operation, including laptops, mobile phones and documents containing electoral data.

During earlier proceedings, the Supreme Court had described the alleged confrontation as “very unusual” and termed it an “unhappy situation”, raising concerns about the absence of clear legal remedies in cases where a high-ranking state functionary is accused of obstructing a central investigation.Appearing for the ED, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta has sought a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation into the alleged interference, along with appropriate action against the Chief Minister and the state’s Director General of Police. The agency has argued that central investigative bodies cannot be left “remediless” if their operations are physically obstructed.On the other hand, the West Bengal government, represented by senior advocates Kapil Sibal and Abhishek Manu Singhvi, has contested the maintainability of the plea. The state has argued that the ED, being a government department, cannot claim fundamental rights or invoke Article 32 to directly approach the Supreme Court.

The state has also alleged that the raids are politically motivated and aimed at undermining the All India Trinamool Congress ahead of the 2026 West Bengal Assembly elections.Meanwhile, in a related development, I-PAC co-founder Vinesh Kumar Chandel was arrested on April 13, after which the organisation is reported to have scaled down or paused its operations in West Bengal.A court at Patiala House Court subsequently remanded Chandel to 10 days of ED custody in connection with the money laundering probe linked to the alleged coal pilferage case. He is expected to remain in custody until April 23 for further interrogation.

/IANS