|
Enforcement Directorate (ED) Director Rahul Naveen arrived at the agency's Kolkata office on Friday morning to hold a routine review meeting, amid an ongoing probe linked to searches conducted at the premises of political consultancy firm Indian Political Action Committee (I-PAC).
According to sources, the ED Director is also expected to meet with officers involved in the January 8 search operations at the I-PAC office and the residence of its director, Prateek Jain. The searches were conducted in connection with a money laundering investigation under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). The visit comes against the backdrop of significant legal and political developments following the ED's plea before the Supreme Court alleging interference by West Bengal authorities during the search operations. Last week, the apex court issued notices to West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and senior state police officials in the matter. A Bench of Justices Prashant Kumar Mishra and A.G. Masih observed that unresolved constitutional questions could lead to "a situation of lawlessness" in states governed by different political outfits. The court stressed the need to uphold the rule of law and to allow investigative agencies to function independently, warning that offenders should not be shielded by state law enforcement agencies. The Supreme Court also stayed an FIR registered by the West Bengal Police against ED officials who had entered the I-PAC premises to conduct searches. During the hearing, Solicitor General of India Tushar Mehta, appearing for the ED, described the incident as reflecting a "shocking state of affairs" in West Bengal. Earlier this month, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee was present at the I-PAC office during the ED raid linked to the alleged coal smuggling case. Banerjee accused the central agency of seizing party-related materials, including hard disks, candidate lists, and strategic documents, and alleged that the Union Home Minister, Amit Shah, was misusing central agencies. Banerjee also claimed that I-PAC was not a private organisation but an authorised team working for the All India Trinamool Congress (AITC), alleging that sensitive political and electoral data had been confiscated. The developments have triggered a sharp political confrontation between the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), intensifying tensions in the state ahead of the 2026 West Bengal Assembly elections. (ANI)
|
