I-PAC raids: Cal HC disposes TMC's data plea, adjourns ED's application

The Calcutta High Court on Wednesday disposed of the TMC's petition praying for protection of its data, saying the ED has informed that it has not seized anything from I-PAC director Pratik Jain's office and home during its raids last week.

TMC had moved the court seeking an order for preservation of personal and political data that may have been seized by the ED during its raids on these two premises on January 8.

Representing the ED, additional solicitor general SV Raju stated before the court that the agency has not seized anything from these two premises.

Disposing of the TMC's petition, Justice Suvra Ghosh observed that in view of the submissions made by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and the Union of India, nothing further remains to be dealt with in the present petition by the ruling party in West Bengal.

 

Justice Ghosh also adjourned a petition by the ED before it seeking a CBI probe into the events of January 8, when Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had gone to the political consultancy firm's office at Salt Lake and its director's residence on Loudon Street in south Kolkata during the raids.

The high court adjourned the central agency's petition on the ground that the ED has filed a special leave petition before the Supreme Court with prayers "which are almost identical with the present application before it.