A Caveat, A Confrontation And A Constitution: Inside The ED–I-PAC Legal Storm

The West Bengal government, led by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, has filed a caveat in the Supreme Court to preempt any adverse orders in the escalating row over Enforcement Directorate (ED) raids on political consultancy firm I-PAC. This legal maneuver ensures the state gets heard before any decisions, amid allegations of evidence tampering during searches linked to a coal pilferage scam. The dispute snowballed from Thursday's raids at I-PAC's Kolkata office and director Pratik Jain's residence, where ED probed money laundering from illegal coal smuggling.

 

Key Developments

The caveat follows ED's indications of approaching the Supreme Court, turning the confrontation into a multi-court battle. Trinamool Congress views it as BJP-orchestrated misuse of agencies, heightening pre-poll tensions.

Sources: Moneycontrol, The Telegraph India, PTI, Law Trend, India Today