The Supreme Court on Wednesday pulled up West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee for her alleged interference in a central agency’s investigation, observing that such actions by a constitutional head put the entire democratic system at risk.
The stern remarks came during a hearing of a writ petition filed by the Enforcement Directorate (ED). The agency is seeking a CBI probe against the Chief Minister and state police officials for allegedly obstructing an ED raid at the premises of I-PAC, the political consultancy firm associated with the Trinamool Congress (TMC).
A bench, comprising Justice Prashant Kumar Mishra and Justice N V Anjaria, expressed disbelief over the CM’s conduct. “We never imagined a sitting Chief Minister would personally interfere in a criminal investigation. Even constitutional experts would not have envisioned such a scenario. By doing so, the CM has put the entire system and democracy at stake,” the Bench noted.
The court’s reprimand was specifically directed at Banerjee’s physical presence at the raid site. Rejecting the state’s argument that this was a “Centre-state dispute” triable only under Article 131, Justice Mishra remarked, “This is not a dispute between the Union and the State. This is an act by an individual who happens to be the CM. You cannot obstruct an agency and then claim immunity under federal disputes.”
Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the Centre, alleged that incriminating materials were also removed during the interference. Meanwhile, the court summarily dismissed the state’s plea to refer the matter to a five-judge bench, questioning the “substantial constitutional question” claimed by the TMC’s counsel.
The apex court clarified that while Article 32 petitions are common, they cannot all be referred to larger benches without merit, especially when the core issue involves the alleged obstruction of legal proceedings.