Calcutta High Court Disposes TMC Plea After ED Says Nothing Seized in I-PAC Raid

The Calcutta High Court on Wednesday disposed of a plea filed by the Trinamool Congress after the Enforcement Directorate categorically stated that no documents, electronic records or data were seized during its January 8 searches linked to political consultancy firm I-PAC in Kolkata.

The plea had been filed by the Trinamool Congress seeking protection of allegedly seized data during the searches conducted at the Indian Political Action Committee office and the residence of its director, Pratik Jain. However, the High Court recorded the ED’s clear submission that nothing whatsoever was seized during the operation.

During the hearing, counsel appearing for Trinamool informed the court that the party was pressing for a limited relief — protection of politically sensitive data, if any had been seized. The party submitted that its application could be disposed of once the ED’s assurance was formally placed on record.

Accepting this position, the High Court noted that the panchanamas prepared during the searches confirmed that no seizure had taken place. The court also recorded the ED’s submission that no backup or copy of any digital data was made during the raids.

In view of these submissions, the court held that nothing survived in Trinamool’s application and accordingly disposed of the plea.

The proceedings also saw sharp objections from the ED on the maintainability of the petition. The agency argued that the affidavit had been filed by an individual who was not present during the searches and had no personal knowledge of the events. It contended that the petition was speculative, vague and based on assumptions rather than facts.

The ED further submitted that the plea sought protection of “sensitive data” without specifying what such data was, reiterating that no documents or digital material had been seized at all. The court repeatedly confined arguments to the issue of maintainability, noting that broader questions on the agency’s powers of search and seizure under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002 were already pending before the Supreme Court.

Meanwhile, the Supreme Court of India is scheduled to hear the ED’s pleas on Thursday against the West Bengal government and Mamata Banerjee. The matter will be taken up by a Bench led by Justice Prashant Kumar Mishra.

The January 8 raids were conducted in connection with a money laundering probe linked to an alleged multi-crore coal pilferage scam. The ED has alleged that the Chief Minister entered the searched premises during the operation and removed crucial evidence, including documents and electronic devices — allegations that have been strongly denied by Banerjee, who has accused the agency of overreach.

Following the raids, the ED had approached the High Court seeking a probe against the Chief Minister. That plea has been adjourned and will be taken up separately, while Wednesday’s order brings closure to Trinamool’s limited application on data protection.