ED–I-PAC raids: Calcutta High Court to hear three linked petitions today
The Statesman | 9 January 2026
The Calcutta High Court will on Friday hear three connected petitions linked to the Enforcement Directorate’s searches at the India Political Action Committee (I-PAC) office and the residence of its co-founder Pratik Jain.
The matters will be taken up together by a single-judge bench of Justice Suvra Ghosh.
The searches were carried out on Thursday at I-PAC’s office in Salt Lake on Kolkata’s outskirts and at Jain’s home on Loudon Street in central Kolkata. The developments have since triggered a legal and political face-off.
Meanwhile, eight Trinamool Congress MPs — Derek O’Brien, Satabdi Roy, Mahua Moitra, Bapi Haldar, Saket Gokhale, Pratima Mondal, Kirti Azad and Dr Sharmila Sarkar — staged a dharna outside Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s office in Delhi.
What the ED has told the court
The primary petition before the court has been filed by the Enforcement Directorate. The central agency has accused West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee of misusing her constitutional position.
According to the ED, Banerjee allegedly obstructed officials who were on duty during the search operations at the two locations.
Before approaching the court, the ED had also issued a statement rejecting the chief minister’s public allegations. It said the searches were linked to an alleged coal smuggling syndicate led by Anup Majee and had no connection with I-PAC’s work for any political party.
Counter-petitions and political fallout
Two counter-petitions have been filed against the ED’s plea. One is by Pratik Jain. The other is by the Trinamool Congress.
In its submission, the Trinamool Congress has claimed that I-PAC functions as its voter-strategy agency. The party has alleged that the searches were aimed at accessing documents linked to its planning for the 2026 West Bengal Assembly elections and passing them on to the Bharatiya Janata Party.
Banerjee made a similar charge on Thursday. She visited Jain’s residence and later the I-PAC office, accompanied by senior state officials and police personnel. She was seen leaving with certain files and electronic material.
The legal proceedings are unfolding even as the political temperature rises. The Trinamool Congress has announced that Banerjee will lead a protest rally on Friday afternoon. The march is scheduled to begin from Jadavpur and end at Hazra Crossing in south Kolkata, starting at 2 pm.
Opposition parties have responded sharply. CPI(M) politburo member Md Salim said the ED should have arrested the chief minister instead of moving court if it believed its officials were obstructed. Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari said inaction by the agency would send the wrong message to the public.
With three petitions listed together, the focus now shifts to the Calcutta High Court and how it navigates a case that sits at the intersection of law enforcement, constitutional authority, and electoral politics.