Kolkata, April 14: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has issued summons to Pulkit Jain, brother of I-PAC co-founder Pratik Jain, and his wife, Barbi Jain, for questioning at the agency’s headquarters in New Delhi. This action is part of the ongoing investigation into multi-crore coal smuggling scams in West Bengal and Jharkhand.
The notices were issued after ED officials arrested another I-PAC co-founder, Vinesh Chandel, on Monday night in connection with the coal smuggling case. Pulkit and Barbi Jain have been asked to appear before the ED on April 15.
On Monday night, the ED raided Chandel’s residence in Delhi and took him into custody. The additional sessions judge at Patiala House Court in Delhi ordered him to be remanded in ED custody on Tuesday morning.
The ED informed the court that Chandel holds a 33% stake in I-PAC, which has been functioning as a ‘vote-strategy agency’ for the Trinamool Congress since 2020.
In response to Chandel’s arrest, the Trinamool Congress general secretary and Lok Sabha member expressed concern, stating that the ED’s actions, occurring just ten days before crucial phases of the West Bengal Assembly elections at the end of this month, are alarming and undermine the essence of a ‘fair electoral environment.’
It is noteworthy that on January 8 of this year, ED officials conducted raids at I-PAC’s Salt Lake office in the northern outskirts of Kolkata and at Pratik Jain’s residence on Loudon Street in central Kolkata. On the same day, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee unexpectedly arrived at both locations with senior bureaucrats and police officials, leaving with various documents and electronic records, including Jain’s mobile phone.
The ED has approached the Supreme Court, alleging that these officials obstructed the investigation process. A hearing on this petition was scheduled for Tuesday, but the court announced that the hearing has been postponed indefinitely.
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