Overview
- Jharkhand High Court on Friday stayed the Ranchi Police case against two ED officers and said the office search appeared prima facie “pre-planned.”
- Justice Sanjay Kumar Dwivedi directed the Union home secretary to deploy CRPF/BSF or other central forces to secure the ED office, warning the Ranchi SSP would be personally accountable for any lapse.
- The police visit followed a complaint by former state employee Santosh Kumar alleging assault during ED questioning, a claim the agency disputes as self-inflicted injuries.
- In a parallel West Bengal dispute, the Supreme Court stayed Kolkata Police FIRs against ED staff over the January 8 I-PAC raids, ordered preservation of CCTV and digital records, and issued notices to Mamata Banerjee and senior officers ahead of a February 3 hearing.
- ED has moved to add the Union home ministry and DoPT to its Supreme Court plea, escalating its bid for central disciplinary action in what it describes as a pattern of state obstruction.