ED, I-PAC move Cal HC over searches on political consultancy firm's office, director’s residence

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) and political consultancy firm I-PAC on Thursday moved the Calcutta High Court over the central agency’s searches at the office and residence of I-PAC chief Pratik Jain.

The ED moved the court alleging interference in its investigation, while I-PAC challenged the legality of the searches. The seaches were part of a money laundering probe into an alleged multi-crore rupee coal pilferage scam, official sources said.

Justice Suvra Ghosh, before whom the matters were mentioned, is likely to take them up for hearing on Friday.

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee dramatically turned up at the residence of Jain in south Kolkata and its office in Salt Lake amid an ongoing ED raid, alleging that the central agency was attempting to seize the TMC's internal documents, hard disks and sensitive data linked to its election strategy.

Apart from political consultancy for the TMC, I-PAC also looks after the IT and media cell of the party.

The ED sought the high court's intervention into the matter so as to ensure that it is allowed to conduct the investigation without any hindrance.

In a statement, the ED alleged that the CM entered Jain's residence and took away key evidence including physical documents, electronic devices.

The central agency claimed that Banerjee had also gone to the I-PAC office from where the CM, her aides and police forcibly removed documents and electronic evidence.