Supreme Court adjourns I-PAC raid case hearing to May 22

The Supreme Court of India on Wednesday adjourned the Enforcement Directorate’s (ED) plea alleging direct interference by former West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and senior state officials during search operations at the I-PAC Kolkata office. The Bench, comprising Justices P.K. Mishra and N.V. Anjaria, took up the matter briefly following the agency's claims that state authorities obstructed a money laundering probe linked to co-founder Pratik Jain earlier this year.

While Solicitor General Tushar Mehta pressed for an early hearing next week, the Bench ultimately listed the matter for May 22, 2026, after considering the court's schedule. The central agency has alleged that during the raids, which are part of a multi-crore coal smuggling and money laundering investigation, the former Chief Minister unauthoritatively entered the search premises. 

Representing the State of West Bengal, Senior Advocates Kapil Sibal and Maneka Guruswamy have consistently opposed the maintainability of the petition, arguing that the ED’s actions are politically motivated and designed to bypass constitutional schemes. The defense has previously asserted that the ED, as a government department, cannot claim fundamental rights under Article 32 to seek a CBI investigation against a sitting constitutional head.