I-PAC raids: Setback for Mamata Banerjee as SC issues notice to Bengal govt, stays FIR against ED officials: Sirsa flags key challenges, vows Delhi will be free of garbage mounds by 2027
I-PAC raids: Setback for Mamata Banerjee as SC issues notice to Bengal govt, stays FIR against ED officials
New Delhi:
The Supreme Court on Thursday gave a setback to Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee in connection with the Enforcement Directorate's raid against the I-PAC in Kolkata and issued a notice to the West Bengal government and state Director General of Police (DGP) Rajeev Kumar over the central probe agency's plea alleging 'obstruction' in probe. A two-judge bench which included Justices Prashant Mishra and Vipul Pancholi also stayed the first information report (FIR) against ED officials who were involved in conducting searches at I-PAC director Pratik Jain's residence.
Posting the matter for further hearing on February 3, the apex court also directed the West Bengal government to protect the CCTV footage of the raids, pointing out that the ED's plea has raised serious issue relating to the probe conducted by the central agencies and interference by state agencies. It said that if the questions that have emerged from the ED's plea are not answered, then it may lead to 'lawlessness'.
"According to us, adherence to the rule of law in the country and to allow each organ to function independently, it is necessary to examine the issue so that the offenders are not allowed to be protected under the shield of law-enforcing agencies of a particular state," the court said.
"Larger questions are involved and have been raised, which, if allowed to remain undecided, would further worsen the situation, and there will be a situation of lawlessness prevailing in one or the other state, considering that different outfits are governing different places," it added.
