TMC Accuses ED Of Data Seizure, Sabotaging Bengal Elections; ED Alleges Obstruction

TMC claims the data is unrelated to the coal scam probe. ED accuses TMC of obstructing investigation and removing evidence. HC will hear both petitions.

TMC petitioned Calcutta HC against ED raids at I-PAC, alleging seizure of confidential election data, violating privacy and fair elections.

Source : PTI

Kolkata, Jan 9 (PTI) The TMC on Friday moved the Calcutta High Court against the ED raids at the office of political consultancy firm I-PAC and the residence of its chief here, seeking restraint on “misuse and dissemination” of documents seized during the search operations.

The ruling party in West Bengal, in its petition, alleged that the ED seized sensitive and confidential political data meant for the TMC’s use in the upcoming assembly elections, in a display of “arbitrary, mala fide, and colourable exercise of power”.

PTI has accessed the synopsis of the petition, which refers to the probe agency’s search and seizure operations under Section 17 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002, on January 8. The ED maintained that the operations were part of a probe into an alleged multi-crore rupee coal pilferage scam.

“The petitioner submits that the seized articles and electronic data consist of confidential political data/information/documents relating to campaign strategy, internal assessments, research inputs, organisational coordination, and electoral roll-related data used for electioneering purposes in the forthcoming West Bengal Legislative Assembly Election, 2026,” the TMC stated in its petition.

“The said materials have no proximate, causal, or even remote nexus with any scheduled offence or alleged proceeds of crime, and do not fall within the scopе of investigation under the Prevention of Money Laundering, 2002,” it said.

The Trinamool Congress alleged that the ED operations were aimed at “unlawfully accessing and controlling the petitioner's electoral roll management, campaign planning, and political strategy, with the clear intent to disrupt a free and fair electoral process” under the pretext of investigation.

“Such targeted seizure amounts to an impermissible intrusion into the petitioner's right to privacy under Article 21 and its constitutional right to participate meaningfully in the democratic process under Article 19.

“The petitioner apprehends grave prejudice, misuse, and dissemination of the seized data, which, if not restrained, would irreversibly damage the integrity of the electoral process and undermine constitutional democracy, warranting immediate intervention of this Hon'ble Court,” the petition said.

The ED searches on Thursday ignited high drama, with West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee unexpectedly storming into the sites during the raids, alleging that the central agency was trying to seize the TMC’s sensitive data ahead of the high-stakes assembly polls.

While Banerjee emerged from Jain’s residence with a green folder and electronic devices in her hand, accusing ED officials of overreach, a security personnel at the I-PAC office was seen dumping a bunch of files in the chief minister's official vehicle during her presence there amid the raids.

In a strong rebuttal, the ED accused Banerjee of obstructing a lawful investigation and claimed that she and the state police forcibly removed "key evidence" during the raids.

The Enforcement Directorate has also moved the high court, alleging interference in its investigation, and the matter, along with the TMC petition, would be jointly heard by the court.

Justice Suvra Ghosh, before whom the matters were mentioned, is likely to take those up for hearing on Friday at 2.30 pm. 

(Disclaimer: This report has been published as part of the auto-generated syndicate wire feed. Apart from the headline, no editing has been done in the copy by ABP Live.)