Supreme Court Stays FIRs Lodged By West Bengal Police Against ED Over I-PAC Raids ; Issues Notice To Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee
Supreme Court Stays FIRs Lodged By West Bengal Police Against ED Over I-PAC Raids ; Issues Notice To Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee
#EnforcementDirectorate #SupremeCourt #MamataBanerjee #IPACRaid #WestBengal #WestBengalPolice #LawAndOrder
SC Stays West Bengal Police FIRs Against ED Officials in I-PAC Raid Case
The Supreme Court of India has intervened in the escalating conflict between the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and the West Bengal government regarding the recent raids on I-PAC (Indian Political Action Committee) offices.
Key Updates from Today (Jan 15, 2026)
Stay on FIRs: The Supreme Court bench, comprising Justices Prashant Kumar Mishra and Vipul Pancholi, has stayed further proceedings and investigations into the FIRs registered by the West Bengal Police against ED officials.
Notices Issued: The Court issued notices to the West Bengal Government, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, DGP Rajeev Kumar, and other top police officials, seeking their response to the ED's plea.
Preservation of Evidence: The Court directed the West Bengal Police to strictly preserve CCTV footage and other electronic evidence from the raid locations (I-PAC office in Salt Lake and the residence of director Pratik Jain).
"Lawlessness" Observation: The bench made strong oral observations, stating that interference by state agencies in central agency investigations could lead to a "situation of lawlessness."
"If allowed to remain undecided, [this] would further worsen the situation, and there will be a situation of lawlessness prevailing in one or the other state... Offenders are not allowed to be protected under the shield of law-enforcing agencies of a particular state." — Supreme Court Bench
Background: The Jan 8 Incident
The conflict stems from ED searches conducted on January 8, 2026, at the offices of I-PAC and the residence of its director, Pratik Jain, in connection with a money laundering probe linked to a coal scam.
ED's Allegation: The ED claims that Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, along with senior police officials, entered the premises during the raid and allegedly "interfered" with the probe, removing "key evidence" and documents.
West Bengal Police's Action: Following the incident, the state police registered FIRs against the ED officials involved in the raid, leading the central agency to approach the Supreme Court for protection and a CBI probe into the alleged obstruction.
What's Next?
The matter has been posted for further hearing on February 3, 2026.
