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ED–TMC Standoff Escalates Over I-PAC Raids With Court Showdown Ahead

The dispute now sits with the Calcutta High Court, which will hear the ED’s CBI‑probe plea on January 14.

Overview

  • The Enforcement Directorate searched I-PAC’s Salt Lake office and director Pratik Jain’s Kolkata residence in a money‑laundering probe linked to alleged coal smuggling and hawala flows.
  • Mamata Banerjee visited the sites during the operation and accused the agency and the Union home minister of trying to seize Trinamool Congress strategy files and sensitive party data.
  • The ED alleges the chief minister obstructed proceedings and removed documents and devices, and it has asked the High Court to order a CBI case and immediate forensic preservation of material.
  • The Trinamool Congress and I-PAC have filed petitions seeking to restrain use or dissemination of seized political data, with hearings disrupted by courtroom disorder and the matter now listed for January 14.
  • Street politics intensified as Banerjee led a Kolkata protest march and several TMC MPs were detained in Delhi, while I-PAC said it remains fully committed to continuing its work.