Our Bureau
New Delhi
The Supreme Court of India came down hard on West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday. It said her actions during an Enforcement Directorate (ED) raid put democracy in jeopardy.
The top court made these sharp remarks in the I-PAC case. I-PAC is a political consultancy firm that handles election campaigns for Banerjee’s Trinamool Congress (TMC). In January, ED raided the I-PAC office in Kolkata and the home of its founder and director, Pratik Jain.
Banerjee walked into the midst of the ED probe. She allegedly took a laptop, phone, and documents from the raid site. The ED accused her and state officials of interfering with the investigation.
A bench of Justices PK Mishra and NV Anjaria pulled no punches. “A Chief Minister cannot walk into the midst of an investigation and put the democracy in peril,” the court stated. It added, “This is, per se, an action by an individual who happens to be the CM who has used the entire system to put democracy in jeopardy.”
The judges called the West Bengal situation “extraordinary.” They said, “Can’t shut our eyes to reality.” They also mentioned the Malda incident where judicial officers were attacked.
These comments come a day before West Bengal goes to polls in the first phase. The state had claimed the ED raids were politically motivated to target TMC ahead of elections.
Banerjee’s move has sparked a big row between her government and central agencies. The ruling adds heat to the tense poll atmosphere in Bengal.
