NEW DELHI: A major blow to West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, the Supreme Court on Thursday ordered a pause on FIRs filed by the state police against Enforcement Directorate (ED) officials and directed the preservation of CCTV footage from January 8. The order came while hearing the ED’s plea alleging obstruction during its raid at the offices of the political consultancy firm I-PAC.
Supreme Court issues notice to West Bengal
A bench of Justice Prashant Kumar Mishra and Justice Vipul M Pancholi issued a notice to the West Bengal government on a plea filed by the ED against Mamata Banerjee and some state police officers. The plea relates to the alleged obstruction of the agency’s search at the I-PAC office, which works for the ruling Trinamool Congress.
The bench said the matter was a very serious issue and required close judicial examination. It also asked the West Bengal government to respond to the ED’s plea, which seeks a CBI probe into the events of January 8, when the searches took place.
Will West Bengal file a counter-affidavit?
The Supreme Court has given the West Bengal government three days to file its counter-affidavit in response to the ED’s allegations. The agency has accused senior state officials of interfering with its lawful investigation during the searches at I-PAC’s premises.
I-PAC raid obstruction in West Bengal: ED moves Supreme Court
In a major move, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) approached the Supreme Court on Thursday, seeking the suspension of West Bengal Director General of Police(DGP) Rajeev Kumar and other senior officials over obstructing raids in the Indian Political Action Committee (I-PAC) offices in West Bengal. The plea was filed ahead of the apex court’s hearing in a case linked to the recent searches conducted at I-PAC premises. The agency alleged that the top cop acted in tandem with Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and played a key role in obstructing the ED raid.
🚨 BIG BREAKING
ED moves a fresh plea in the Supreme Court seeking to implead DoPT, MHA & the West Bengal govt for a CBI probe into alleged interference during IPAC raids.
ED also seeks SUSPENSION of WB DGP Rajiv Kumar, Kolkata CP Manoj Verma & DCP Priyabatra Roy. pic.twitter.com/0B4eV7ddcf
— Megh Updates 🚨™ (@MeghUpdates) January 15, 2026
What the agency wanted
The agency alleges that the senior police officer acted in collusion with Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. It pointed out that he had earlier sat on a dharna with the Chief Minister when he was the Kolkata Police Commissioner.
The ED has asked the Ministry of Home Affairs and the Department of Personnel and Training to start disciplinary action against senior state police officials. It also claimed that the state police were used as a political tool to threaten central investigators and allegedly seize documents during the raids.
This plea follows earlier petitions in which the ED sought a CBI probe and the registration of FIRs against state officials. The move signals a sharp escalation in the conflict between the central agency and the West Bengal government.
