The Trinamool Congress (TMC) on Friday approached the Calcutta High Court challenging raids conducted by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) at the office of political consultancy firm iPAC and the residence of its chief, seeking directions to restrain the "misuse and dissemination" of documents seized during the searches.
In its petition, the ruling party in West Bengal alleged that the ED unlawfully seized sensitive and confidential political data intended for the TMC's use in the run-up to the 2026 West Bengal Assembly elections. The party described the action as an "arbitrary, mala fide and colourable exercise of power".
According to the petition, accessed by PTI, the ED carried out search and seizure operations on January 8 under Section 17 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002. The central agency has maintained that the searches were part of an investigation into an alleged multi-crore coal pilferage scam.
The TMC claimed that the seized material included confidential political data and electronic records related to campaign strategy, internal assessments, research inputs, organisational coordination and electoral roll management for the forthcoming Assembly elections.
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The party argued that the materials had "no proximate, causal or even remote nexus" with any scheduled offence or alleged proceeds of crime and therefore fell outside the scope of investigation under the PMLA.
Alleging that the searches were aimed at disrupting the democratic process, the TMC said the ED was attempting to unlawfully access and control its electoral roll management and campaign planning under the guise of an investigation.
The petition further contended that the seizures amounted to an impermissible intrusion into the party's right to privacy under Article 21 of the Constitution and its right to participate meaningfully in the democratic process under Article 19. It expressed apprehension that misuse or dissemination of the seized data could cause irreparable damage to the integrity of the electoral process.
The ED raids on Thursday led to dramatic scenes, with Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee making an unannounced visit to the search locations. Banerjee accused the agency of attempting to seize the TMC's sensitive political data ahead of the high-stakes Assembly polls.
Visuals from the searches showed Banerjee leaving I-PAC chief Pratik Jain's residence carrying a green folder and electronic devices, alleging overreach by ED officials. At the I-PAC office, a security personnel was seen placing files into the chief minister's official vehicle during her presence at the site.
The ED, in a sharp rebuttal, accused Banerjee of obstructing a lawful investigation and alleged that she and the state police forcibly removed "key evidence" during the raids.
The agency has also moved the Calcutta High Court, alleging interference in its probe. Both petitions are expected to be heard together.
Justice Suvra Ghosh, before whom the matters were mentioned, is likely to take them up for hearing on Friday at 2.30 pm.