SC defers I-PAC case hearing till August 18 after ED submits investigation report

The Supreme Court on Friday deferred the hearing in the I-PAC-related matter once again after the Enforcement Directorate submitted a report on the investigation conducted so far. The case will now be heard on August 18. The matter came up before a bench comprising Justice Prashant Kumar Mishra and Justice Nilay Vipinchandra Anjaria.

During the hearing, Trinamool Congress MP and lawyer Kalyan Banerjee appeared virtually on behalf of West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. Justice Mishra questioned why all lawyers were not physically present in court. In response, Kalyan Banerjee said that the Chief Justice had instructed them to appear virtually. Justice Mishra then remarked, “There is a big difference between virtual Kalyan Banerjee and physical Kalyan Banerjee.”

The bench later directed all parties involved in the matter to submit the necessary documents before the next hearing. The Enforcement Directorate also placed its investigation report before the court during Friday’s proceedings regarding the developments in the case.

The matter is linked to the Enforcement Directorate’s search operation conducted on January 8 at the Kolkata residence and office of Pratik Jain, one of the key figures associated with I-PAC. According to the ED, Mamata Banerjee had arrived at the location during the raid and allegedly removed documents, files and laptops from Pratik Jain’s residence during the search operation. Following the incident, the ED approached the Supreme Court.