Supreme Court reprimands Kapil Sibal while he was commenting before the bench in ‘ED vs Chief Minister of West Bengal’ case. The court told Sibal, “Don’t anger us by saying that we are angry.
New Delhi: During the hearing of ‘ED Vs Chief Minister of West Bengal’ case in the Supreme Court of India, there was a heated argument between the bench and Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s lawyer Kapil Sibal. When the bench of Justices Prashant Kumar Mishra and NV Anjari asked how the Enforcement Directorate could file a complaint against the Chief Minister before the state government led by him, Kapil Sibal accused the Bench of already finding the Chief Minister guilty.
Sibal clarified that this is only an allegation and should not be stated as fact. He further said that the allegations are yet to be investigated and the court should hear the case in a fair and just manner.
Case: ED vs Chief Minister of West Bengal
This case is related to Mamata Banerjee and the West Bengal government led by her. The Enforcement Directorate (ED), acting in cases related to alleged money laundering and coal scam, conducted raids at several locations in Kolkata on January 8, 2026. It also included the office of political consulting firm IPAC.
The ED alleged that the Chief Minister and other state officials were obstructing the raid. During the hearing in the Supreme Court, the bench comprised Justice Prashant Kumar Mishra and Justice N.V. Anjari.
Kapil Sibal’s argument
Kapil Sibal said that the ED filed a complaint against the Chief Minister, and it assumed that the Chief Minister was guilty. He told the court that this is only an allegation and investigation is still pending. Sibal also said that whether the fundamental rights of the officer filing the petition have been violated or not, it should be clearly stated.
Sibal said, obstruction in the performance of any statutory duty is not a violation of fundamental rights. If someone interferes with the work of a police officer, a petition cannot be filed under Article 32 or Section 226. Prosecution will be initiated in such cases.
Supreme Court’s reaction
The Supreme Court clarified to Sibal that asking questions is not a sign of the bench being angry. Justice Mishra said, “Every allegation is based on facts. If there are no facts, there is no need for investigation. Our wish is to get the investigation done by the CBI. The Supreme Court also underlined that it is necessary to take care of the fundamental rights of ED officials.
“If you focus only on the ED and forget the petitions of the officers whose rights have been violated, you may deviate from the main issue,” the bench said. The West Bengal government questioned the admissibility of the ED’s plea. The government said the state authorities were not responsible for causing any obstruction during the search of the IPAC office in Kolkata on January 8.
Senior advocate Kalyan Banerjee, appearing for the Chief Minister, said the state government has to give consent for a CBI investigation and the Constitutional Court has the necessary power in such cases.
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