The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Thursday conducted fresh raids at premises associated with executives of political consultancy firm I-PAC and others in several cities.
Sources close to the development said searches are underway in Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Delhi as part of the probe into alleged coal smuggling and robbery in West Bengal. I-PAC co-founder and director Rishi Raj Singh’s premises are among those covered,
In this case, the Federal Investigation Agency raided the office of I-PAC and also the residence of its founder and one of its directors, Pratik Jain, in Kolkata in January.
Singh and Jain were recently summoned by the ED to record their statements.
They approached the Delhi High Court to quash these notices issued to them citing the ongoing election work in West Bengal and Tamil Nadu.
Meanwhile, on January 15, the Supreme Court declared West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s alleged obstruction in the ED investigation as “very serious” and agreed to examine whether state law enforcement agencies can interfere in the investigation of any serious wrongdoing by any central agency as it stayed the FIR against the ED officials who raided the I-PAC.
The ED has alleged interference and obstruction by the state government, including Banerjee, in its investigation and search operation at the I-PAC office and its director Pratik Jain’s premises in connection with the alleged coal theft scam.
The Supreme Court, while staying the FIRs filed in West Bengal against the ED officials, also ordered the state police to protect the CCTV footage of the raids.
She issued notices to Banerjee, the West Bengal government, former state director Rajeev Kumar and top cops on ED petitions seeking a CBI probe against them for allegedly thwarting her raids.
