The Supreme Court on October 29 reserved its verdict on a plea filed by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) seeking a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into the alleged obstruction of its search operations at the Kolkata office of political consultancy firm I-PAC and the residence of its co-founder. The proceedings concern former West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and certain state police officials.
A Bench of Justice Prashant Kumar Mishra and Justice N.V. Anjaria reserved its decision after hearing arguments on whether the investigation should be entrusted to the CBI or left to the state government.
Background
The dispute arose from searches conducted by the ED on January 8 in connection with a money-laundering investigation linked to an alleged coal smuggling case. The agency alleged that Banerjee and senior police officials intervened during the searches and that certain physical and electronic materials were removed from the premises.
Banerjee has maintained that the materials concerned her party, the Trinamool Congress, rather than the ED’s investigation. The agency subsequently approached the Supreme Court seeking an independent investigation.
Senior Advocate Kapil Sibal, appearing for Banerjee, argued that the change in the state government had removed the circumstances underlying the ED’s request for judicial intervention. He submitted that the state government could independently refer the matter to the CBI if it considered such a step necessary.
“Now she is not the Chief Minister. So there is no impediment. Now the State government has another government. Now they are entitled to send any matter to the CBI. If they wish to do it, no one can stand in their way. But why should your lordships do it?”
Additional Solicitor General S.V. Raju, appearing for the ED, opposed leaving the matter entirely to the state authorities. He argued that an independent investigation was necessary because police officers named in the proceedings could potentially influence the inquiry.
“We want a fair investigation,” Raju submitted, stressing the need to address concerns about possible bias.
After hearing the parties, the Supreme Court reserved its verdict on the ED’s plea seeking a CBI investigation into the alleged interference with its search operations.
