The Supreme Court labelled the Enforcement Directorate's (ED) claim of obstruction by West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and her government during raids a “very serious” matter on Thursday, January 15, 2026. The ED carried out searches at the political consultancy firm I-PAC’s office and its director Pratik Jain’s Kolkata residence, linked to a coal pilferage scam. A bench of Justices Prashant Kumar Mishra and Vipul Pancholi said, “This is a very serious matter; we will issue a notice. We have to examine it.” The court also expressed concern over the disorderly scenes at the Calcutta High Court during earlier hearings on the ED's raids. The Calcutta High Court had postponed hearings to January 14 due to chaos caused by large crowds including lawyers inside the court. The ED told the Supreme Court that Banerjee’s interference during their probe shows a “very shocking pattern.” Solicitor General Tushar Mehta said, “This will only encourage such acts, and the central forces will be demoralised.” He urged suspension of officers who failed to prevent obstruction. Mehta added there was evidence of incriminating material at I-PAC and asked the court to protect the officers' rights. He also described the chaos at the Calcutta High Court as “mobocracy replacing democracy.” Senior advocate Kapil Sibal opposed the ED’s plea. He said the case should be heard first by the Calcutta High Court and called ED’s proceedings “parallel.” He challenged ED’s claims by referring to their own search records, saying the allegation that Mamata Banerjee took all digital devices was “a blatant lie.” The ED’s complaint started after January 8 raids faced obstructions at I-PAC's Salt Lake office and Pratik Jain’s house. The ED alleges that Mamata Banerjee took away “key” evidence. The Trinamool Congress denies the obstruction claims and accuses the ED of overreach. West Bengal police have filed an FIR against ED officers in response. The Supreme Court hearing on the matter is currently ongoing.