Supreme Court Criticizes Bengal CM for ED Probe Interference

The Supreme Court of India sharply criticized West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday for allegedly interfering in an Enforcement Directorate investigation, stating that such actions by a top state official place democracy at risk. A bench comprising Justices Prashant Kumar Mishra and N.V. Anjaria made the remarks during a hearing in New Delhi on petitions filed by the ED seeking a Central Bureau of Investigation probe into the incident, which occurred on January 8, 2026, in Kolkata.

The case stems from ED searches at the office of political consultancy firm Indian Political Action Committee (IPAC) in Kolkata's Salt Lake area, the residence of its head Pratik Jain in the Loudon Street neighborhood, and other locations. IPAC has provided election campaign services for Banerjee's Trinamool Congress party, including the 2021 assembly elections and preparations for the upcoming polls. The raids were part of a broader money-laundering investigation linked to a 2020 Central Bureau of Investigation report on an alleged coal smuggling syndicate involving illegal excavation from Eastern Coalfields Limited areas in West Bengal. The ED alleges that a hawala operator...