I-PAC raid: ED claims proof of hindrances faced by officials during searches

Kolkata, Jan 10 (LatestNewsX) The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has sufficient proof to establish in any court of law how its officials, along with accompanying Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) personnel, faced hindrances and were even heckled by West Bengal Police and Kolkata Police officers during simultaneous raid and search operations at the Kolkata office of the India Political Action Committee (I-PAC) and the residence of I-PAC co-founder Pratik Jain, especially at Jain’s residence, on January 8, agency insiders claimed on Saturday.

Although ED officials are tight-lipped about the nature of the proof the agency now possesses, insiders clarified that it does not include footage from CCTV cameras installed at Jain’s Loudon Street residence in central Kolkata and the I-PAC office in Salt Lake.

The insiders further said the agency has sufficient proof of the alleged behaviour of state police personnel towards accompanying CAPF personnel at the entry gate of Jain’s residence, and towards the raiding officials inside the residence.

The ED has already filed a petition in the Supreme Court seeking the latter’s urgent intervention in the matter. The state government has also filed a caveat in the apex court to prevent an ex parte hearing.

The ED initially moved the Calcutta High Court’s single-judge bench of Justice Suvra Ghosh, accusing West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, accompanied by top administrative and police officials of the state, of misusing her constitutional powers by causing hindrances to central agency officials in the discharge of their duties.

However, the matter could not be heard before Justice Ghosh’s bench on Friday because of an excessive crowd in the courtroom. Justice Ghosh left the courtroom and scheduled January 14 as the next date of hearing in the matter.

Thereafter, on the same day, the ED approached a division bench headed by Calcutta High Court Acting Chief Justice Sujoy Paul seeking an urgent hearing in the matter, and, if possible, before any other single-judge bench. However, the Acting Chief Justice’s bench rejected the plea and ruled that the next hearing in the matter will be on January 14, as decided by Justice Ghosh.

Thereafter, the ED filed the petition in the Supreme Court.

src/pgh