Overview
- ED petitioned the Supreme Court alleging interference by the West Bengal government during searches at I-PAC’s office and Pratik Jain’s residence, while the state filed a caveat to be heard before any order.
- The Calcutta High Court adjourned related hearings to January 14 after a chaotic session, with ED also seeking judicial directions for a CBI investigation and forensic preservation of devices and records.
- ED maintains the January 8 searches were evidence-based under the PMLA and linked to a 2020 CBI FIR on coal pilferage, alleging hawala transfers of crores to entities including I-PAC.
- The Trinamool Congress and I-PAC moved the High Court to challenge the searches and to restrain what they call misuse or dissemination of sensitive party data seized during the operation.
- Mamata Banerjee led a protest rally in Kolkata, and several TMC MPs were detained during a Delhi demonstration, as the political fallout from the Kolkata raids widened across multiple fronts.