New Delhi, May 22 (IANS) The Supreme Court is scheduled to hear on Friday a plea filed by the Enforcement Directorate (ED), alleging interference by then West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and senior state police officials during search operations conducted earlier this year at the Kolkata office of political consultancy firm Indian Political Action Committee (I-PAC).

A Bench of Justices Prashant Kumar Mishra and N.V. Anjaria earlier deferred the matter after Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the ED through video conferencing, sought an early listing for next week.

“I am requesting for next week,” SG Mehta submitted, pressing for an expedited hearing after Justice Mishra-led Bench observed that the matter could otherwise be listed in July.

During the brief hearing, the Centre’s second-highest law officer informed the apex court that the respondents had already concluded their preliminary submissions and that the ED was ready to advance arguments.

After hearing the parties, the Justice Mishra-led Bench posted the matter for further hearing on Friday.

The matter arises out of search operations conducted by the ED on January 8 in connection with a multi-crore money laundering probe linked to an alleged coal smuggling scam. The federal anti-money laundering agency has alleged that former Chief Minister Banerjee, accompanied by police personnel and senior officials, entered the I-PAC office and the residence of its co-founder, Pratik Jain, while searches were underway and interfered with the investigation.

The ED has sought directions for registration of FIRs against Mamata Banerjee, then Director General of Police (DGP) and the Kolkata Police Commissioner, besides seeking transfer of the probe to the CBI.

During the previous hearing, the apex court had orally remarked that alleged interference by a sitting Chief Minister in the midst of an ongoing investigation could place “democracy in peril”.

“This is not per se a dispute between the State and the Union. This is, per se, an act committed by an individual who happens to be the Chief Minister of a State, keeping the whole system and democracy in jeopardy,” the Justice Mishra-led Bench had orally observed.

The ED has alleged that its officials were obstructed and “terrorised” during the searches.

Earlier, Additional Solicitor General S.V. Raju, appearing for the federal anti-money laundering agency, had strongly refuted allegations that the ED had “weaponised” its powers.

“It (ED) has not been weaponised, it has been terrorised,” ASG Raju had submitted before the apex court.

In her counter-affidavit, Mamata Banerjee denied allegations of obstruction, asserting that her limited presence at the premises was only to retrieve confidential and proprietary data belonging to the Trinamool Congress.

According to the affidavit, she had visited the premises after receiving information that sensitive political data linked to the party’s strategy for the 2026 West Bengal Assembly elections was being accessed during the searches.

The affidavit further claimed that ED officials had permitted retrieval of certain devices and documents, and that the searches thereafter continued “peacefully and in an orderly manner”.

Earlier, the then West Bengal government had also questioned the maintainability of the ED’s writ petition under Article 32 of the Constitution, contending that the matter essentially concerns an inter-governmental dispute. In an order passed on January 15, the Supreme Court had stayed FIRs registered by the West Bengal Police against ED officials in connection with the searches and directed preservation of CCTV footage and other digital records from the searched premises.

–IANS

rs/