Courtroom Chaos Derails ED Vs Mamata Hearing; HC Adjourns Case, But Agency Pushes for Urgent Listing

Kolkata: The Calcutta High Court on Friday adjourned the hearing on the Enforcement Directorate’s petition against West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee after large-scale commotion and overcrowding disrupted court proceedings, forcing the judge to rise minutes after the matter was taken up.

The court has fixed the next hearing for January 14, even as the ED moved swiftly, seeking an urgent hearing before another Bench.

The ED reportedly wrote to the Calcutta HC Chief Justice for the urgent hearing.

The ED petition was scheduled to be heard on Friday afternoon, a day after Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee stormed the I-PAC office in Kolkata during an ED search linked to the alleged government jobs-for-cash scam and claims that Trinamool Congress used coal scam money during the Goa elections.

As the High Court assembled to hear the matter, centred on allegations that Mamata Banerjee interfered with the probe and allegedly took away files and digital evidence, chaos broke out inside the courtroom due to heavy crowding. Citing the disruption, Justice Suvra Ghosh adjourned the matter.

ED Pushes for Urgent Hearing

Following the adjournment, the Enforcement Directorate approached the Chief Justice of the Calcutta High Court, seeking an urgent hearing in view of what it termed “serious misconduct” and obstruction during its search operations. The ED is now seeking the matter to be listed before another bench.

In a writ petition filed before the Calcutta High Court, the ED on Friday accused the West Bengal Police, allegedly acting in collusion with the Chief Minister, of obstructing its officials and failing to discharge their public duty in "flagrant and blatant disregard to law" during an ongoing search operation in Kolkata carried out on January 8.

In the 28-page petition, the ED said the state police prevented its officers from carrying out their official duties under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).

The agency alleged that the situation escalated after the Chief Minister on Thursday entered the residential premises of Pratik Jain, director of political consultancy firm I-PAC, during an ED search and took away "key evidence", including physical documents and electronic devices.

The ED said it approached the High Court to invoke its writ jurisdiction to "instil public confidence" in the functioning of the state administration and to immediately stop "overreach" by the state police and the Chief Minister.

"The present writ petition is filed invoking the writ jurisdiction of this Hon'ble Court to instil public confidence in the functioning of the State Government and to immediately prevent the over-action of the State Police and the Hon'ble Chief Minister of the State, Ms. Mamta Banerjee. State Police of West Bengal in collusion with Hon'ble Chief Minister of the State of West Bengal in flagrant and blatant disregard to law has failed to discharge its public duty mandated under the provisions of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023 (BNSS, 2023), and has obstructed the Petitioner Officers in discharging their official duties mandated under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002," the petition read.

Coal Scam, Hawala Links Alleged

The document pointed out that the ED search action was initiated against I-PAC and other entities related to a coal smuggling case on January 8. Searches were conducted at 10 locations, including six premises in West Bengal and four in Delhi.

During the search, it mentions, "The Chief Minister of West Bengal, Mamta Banerjee, entered the premises and with the aid of police personnel, forcibly took possession of all digital devices along with key incriminating documents from the possession of the authorised officer. In another premise also similar incident also happened where files were taken in her car."

As per the petition, "concrete material found during investigation revealed that at least Rs 20 crores worth of proceeds of crime was transferred to IPAC through hawala channels”.

The agency clarified that the searches were evidence-based, not targeted at any political party, and not linked to elections. It said the action stemmed from a CBI FIR related to coal smuggling in Eastern Coalfields Limited (ECL) areas of West Bengal and subsequent money laundering investigations.

Protest Outside, Chaos Inside

Minutes before the court hearing, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee held a protest in Kolkata, further escalating tensions around the ED action and the legal battle in the High Court. The political confrontation spilled into the courtroom, delaying the judicial scrutiny.

With the matter now adjourned to January 14 and the ED pressing for urgent judicial intervention, the standoff between the central agency and the Trinamool Congress leadership has sharply intensified.

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