New Delhi: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) and the West Bengal government clashed in the Supreme Court on Wednesday over a controversial raid on a political consultancy, with federal officials claiming they were "terrorised" by the state's leadership during the operation.

The exchange occurred during a hearing on the ED’s petition alleging that West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and senior police officials obstructed a search at the Kolkata office of I-PAC, a firm linked to the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC).

The heated dialogue began when Senior Advocate Siddharth Luthra, representing the state, accused the central agency of being "weaponised" to target political opponents.

"Agency has been weaponised," Luthra submitted to the bench. "They will have to justify how an agency can be weaponised."

Additional Solicitor General S.V. Raju, appearing for the ED, quickly retorted: "No, no, agency isn't weaponised. It's terrorised."

The Dispute Over I-PAC

The case stems from a Jan. 8, 2026, search operation conducted by the ED at I-PAC’s headquarters and the residence of its director as part of a multi-crore coal smuggling investigation. The federal agency alleges that Banerjee, accompanied by top police officials and a large security detail, "barged into" the premises and forcibly removed sensitive evidence, including files and electronic devices.

Banerjee has denied the allegations in her counter-affidavit, maintaining she "politely requested" the retrieval of proprietary party data and that ED officers consented to the move. The TMC has characterised the raid as a "pretextual" attempt to seize confidential election strategy material ahead of the 2026 West Bengal Assembly elections.

Constitutional Questions

A bench comprising Justices Prashant Kumar Mishra and K.V. Vishwanathan expressed concern that the standoff could lead to a "situation of lawlessness" if left unresolved.

"According to us, for the adherence to rule of law in the country... it is necessary to examine this issue so that the offenders are not allowed to be protected under the shield of law enforcement agencies of a particular State," the court previously noted.

The West Bengal government has challenged the "maintainability" of the ED's petition, arguing that a government agency cannot invoke the Supreme Court's writ jurisdiction under Article 32, which is traditionally reserved for citizens seeking the protection of fundamental rights. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, also representing the ED, countered that the state’s legal team was using a "limited understanding" of constitutional law to delay the proceedings.

Next Steps

The Supreme Court had earlier stayed several FIRs filed by the West Bengal Police against the ED officials involved in the raid and ordered the state to preserve all CCTV footage from the I-PAC office and surrounding areas.

The court adjourned the matter to March 18 to allow the ED to file its rejoinder affidavit. The bench confirmed it will then deliberate on the constitutional principles involved and the state's objections to the case's maintainability.

With inputs from ANI