'Proceedings Used As Online Tool In Political Campaign': Trinamool In Court

Court proceedings are being used as a convenient lightning rod for political campaigning on social media by the opposition, Menaka Guruswamy, representing Mamata Banerjee in the I-PAC raid case, told the Supreme Court on Thursday.

As the case was being heard in New Delhi, Phase 1 voting in Bengal was underway.

A video clip of the exchange between Menaka Guruswamy and Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, representing the Enforcement Directorate, was posted on X by the BJP's Amit Malviya. The post suggested that Mamata Banerjee's lawyer had referred to her as "Queen."

Guruswamy today raised sharp objections to post by Amit Malviya calling it an "abuse" of court proceedings.

She pointed out that while she was making submissions on changes in law before and after independence, her submissions were misrepresented to show that she was calling Mamata Bannerjee "Queen".

Guruswamy was arguing that the writ petition filed by the Enforcement Directorate, seeking a CBI probe against Mamata Banerjee and the senior officials who accompanied her when she "walked into the midst" of an ongoing raid on the I-PAC premises in Kolkata in January, is not maintainable.

The Supreme Court had previously made it clear that the Chief Minister's conduct during an ongoing raid could not translate into a "Centre-State dispute."

The Courtroom Exchange

"Now, please see my lords, and this is where Mr Seervai very nicely shows us the difference between our constitutional state and what was. What the Union is asking for takes us back to pre-constitutional India," Guruswamy argued. "Mandamus does not lie against the crown... there can be no mandamus to the sovereign... because there would be an incongruity in the queen commanding herself to do [an act]."

The mention of the "crown" prompted a reaction from Solicitor General Tushar Mehta.

"Are the respondents the crown? I'm sorry, let her continue. This helps. Fortunately, we are in a democracy; nobody is a crown," Mehta objected.

It's astonishing that in a democracy, Mamata Banerjee's counsel, and Trinamool's newly minted Rajya Sabha MP, Menaka Guruswamy, appears to believe she represents a Crown, not the Constitution. When the Court asked who is the Queen, she went silent. While she may not admit it, let… pic.twitter.com/E45B6oRx77

— Amit Malviya (@amitmalviya) April 22, 2026

Guruswamy continued her argument: "Mandamus does not lie against the crown... because disobedience to a writ of mandamus is to be enforced by attachment."

Mehta intervened again, asking, "Who is the queen here?"

Amit Malviya used this portion of the clip to allege that it was the court enquiring "who is the queen," suggesting the bench had delivered a sharp rebuke to Mamata Banerjee.

While the top court had previously disapproved of the Chief Minister's actions during the I-PAC raid, stating she had put "democracy in jeopardy," Guruswamy argued the narrative was being twisted.

"All submissions advanced... my friend is using your lordships' proceedings as a social media weapon in a political campaign," Guruswamy told the court today.

The Enforcement Directorate's case is that Mamata Banerjee took away paer and digital evidence from the scene.