I-PAC breaks silence; releases official statement on ED raids

Kolkata: A day after the Enforcement Directorate conducted searches at the offices of political consultancy firm Indian Political Action Committee (I-PAC) and the residence of its director, Pratik Jain, the firm said it remains “fully committed” to its work.

In a statement issued on Friday, I-PAC said: “We have always upheld the highest standards of professional integrity in all that we do. Despite what transpired yesterday, we remain fully committed to continuing our work unfazed and unperturbed, with consistency and accountability guided by the same purpose that has shaped us from the start.”

The ED had carried out the raids in Kolkata on Thursday as part of a money laundering investigation. I-PAC’s statement signals its intention to maintain operations and uphold its professional standards despite the ongoing scrutiny.

Calcutta High Court on Friday adjourned the scheduled hearing of cases related to the Enforcement Directorate's search and seizure operations at political consultancy firm I-PAC's office on account of unmanageable chaos inside the courtroom.

Justice Suvra Ghosh, in whose court the matter was scheduled to be heard, adjourned the hearing till January 14 after repeated requests to those not connected with the petitions to leave the courtroom fell on deaf ears.

The court was scheduled to hear dual petitions by the ED and the Trinamool Congress in connection with the dramatic developments witnessed on Thursday after Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee landed up at the agency's operation venues and alleged that the investigators were trying to seize TMC's sensitive data ahead of the upcoming high-stakes state polls.