Supreme Court Deliberates on CBI Investigation Request Against Mamata Banerjee
The Supreme Court has reserved its decision on the EDs request for a CBI probe into Mamata Banerjees alleged interference during an investigation.
New Delhi, October 29 (Daily Kiran) : The Supreme Court of India has reserved its decision regarding a petition filed by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) seeking a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) inquiry into former West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and senior police officials. This case is linked to allegations of interference during an ED raid at the Kolkata office of the Indian Political Action Committee (I-PAC).
A bench comprising Justices Prashant Kumar Mishra and N.V. Anjaria considered whether the investigation should be assigned to the CBI or left to the newly elected West Bengal government to decide. Senior advocate Kapil Sibal, representing Banerjee, argued that since there has been a change in the state government, it should determine the necessity of a CBI investigation without needing a specific order from the Supreme Court.
The bench raised questions about why the West Bengal government could not independently refer the case to the CBI given the changed circumstances. The court noted that the situation at the time the ED filed its petition has since evolved.
On the other hand, Additional Solicitor General S.V. Raju opposed this view, stating that leaving the decision to the state government could lead to allegations of bias. He emphasized the need for a fair and independent investigation, citing accusations against Banerjee as well as senior police officials.
Raju also pointed out that several cross-cases are involved, suggesting that all cases should be investigated by the same agency for a comprehensive resolution. He informed the court that the ED approached the Supreme Court for an independent investigation, warning that leaving the decision to the state could cast doubt on the investigation’s integrity.
After hearing arguments from all parties, the Supreme Court reserved its order. This case stems from an ED raid on January 8 at the I-PAC office in Kolkata and the residence of its co-founder, Pratik Jain, as part of a money laundering investigation related to an alleged coal smuggling scandal.
The ED claims that during the raid, Mamata Banerjee arrived with police officials and interfered with the investigative process. The agency has requested the filing of FIRs against Banerjee, the then Director General of West Bengal Police Rajeev Kumar, and the then Kolkata Police Commissioner Manoj Kumar Verma, among others, and has sought to hand over the investigation to the CBI.
Banerjee has denied these allegations, asserting that her presence at the I-PAC office was to protect confidential party data related to electoral strategies. Previously, on January 15, the Supreme Court had halted the FIR filed by West Bengal police against ED officials and directed the preservation of CCTV footage and other digital records related to the case.
During earlier hearings, the Supreme Court had remarked that interference by a sitting chief minister in an ongoing investigation could jeopardize democracy.
