ED Accuses Mamata Banerjee of Obstruction, Demands CBI Probe in Supreme Court

• The ED has approached the Supreme Court against West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee, alleging obstruction of an I-PAC related search operation in Kolkata on January 8.
• The agency claims Mamata Banerjee, along with senior police officials, interfered with the investigation and snatched legally seized evidence.
• The ED states that the Chief Secretary, DGP, and Kolkata Police Commissioner entered the search premises under PMLA.
• The case involves a money laundering probe related to illegal coal mining, where ₹20 crore in 'proceeds of crime' was linked to I-PAC co-founder Prateek Jain.
• The ED alleges Bengal Police seized CCTV cameras containing evidence of obstruction and lodged false FIRs against central officials to intimidate them.

Why It Matters: ED seeks Supreme Court intervention and CBI inquiry, alleging Mamata Banerjee obstructed investigation and destroyed evidence.