Calcutta HC to hear crucial petitions on ED raids at I-PAC office today

Kolkata: A single-judge bench of the Calcutta High Court, presided over by Justice Suvra Ghosh, is scheduled to hear three pivotal petitions on Wednesday regarding the recent Enforcement Directorate (ED) raids at the Indian Political Action Committee (I-PAC) office and the residence of its co-founder, Pratik Jain.

The hearing comes with strict security protocols. Following a chaotic scene on January 9, where Justice Ghosh was forced to leave the courtroom due to overcrowding, Chief Justice Sujoy Paul issued a notification on Tuesday restricting entry. Access to the courtroom during the hearing will be limited strictly to the parties involved and their legal counsel.

The central controversy stems from raids conducted on January 8 at the I-PAC office in Salt Lake and Jain’s Loudon Street residence. The ED has filed a petition accusing West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee of misusing her constitutional position. The agency alleges that the Chief Minister "stormed" the locations, hindered official duties, and removed paper files and electronic documents. The ED is seeking a CBI probe into the incident and the role of senior police officials who accompanied her.

Parallel counter-petitions have been filed by Pratik Jain and the Trinamool Congress (TMC). The TMC contends that I-PAC serves as the party's voter-strategy agency. They allege the ED raids were politically motivated, intended to seize sensitive data related to the 2026 Assembly poll strategy to share with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

Despite the scheduled hearing, some uncertainty remains regarding the proceedings, as a related petition by the ED is also pending before the Supreme Court.

(Inputs from IANS)