Overview
- A bench of Justices Prashant Kumar Mishra and Vipul M Pancholi issued notice to West Bengal, including Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, on the Enforcement Directorate’s plea.
- The court called the allegations "very serious," flagging larger questions about whether state agencies can impede a central probe, and set the case for February 3.
- Interim directions include staying West Bengal Police FIRs against ED officials and preserving all CCTV footage from the I-PAC raid and nearby cameras.
- In filings and arguments, the ED alleged Mamata Banerjee entered the sites, removed documents and devices, and even took an official’s phone, seeking a CBI inquiry and action against senior police officers.
- The Calcutta High Court closed the TMC’s data-protection plea after ED panchnamas showed no seizure, as the party and state deny obstruction, question timing, and point to sensitive political data at I-PAC.