New Delhi, Feb. 4 -- Rejecting allegations of robbery and dacoity levelled by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) over searches linked to political consultancy firm I-PAC, West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee has told the Supreme Court that she only retrieved her party's confidential data from the I-PAC office with the express consent of ED officers, and accused the central agency of conducting a pretextual raid aimed at stealing political and organisational information of the TMC. In a detailed affidavit filed in response to notices issued by the top court, Banerjee alleged that ED's operation was timed suspiciously close to assembly elections and formed part of a recurring pattern of "colourable exercise of statutory power" by the agency to target opposition parties and undermine federalism. She also strongly opposed ED's plea seeking transfer of the probe to the CBI, terming it an impermissible attempt by "accused persons to choose who investigates them". The matter was listed on Tuesday before a bench led by justice Prashant Kumar Mishra, but was adjourned to February 10 at ED's request after the it sought time to file rejoinders to the replies received from the state government and Banerjee. Solicitor general Tushar Mehta and additional solicitor general SV Raju, appearing for the ED and its officers, told the court that the replies were served only the previous evening. "We will need some time to file our rejoinders. The request is to keep it next week," Mehta said. Senior advocates Abhishek Allowing the request, the bench fixed the matter for February 10. Last month, ED searches at I-PAC's office in Kolkata and the residence of its director, Pratik Jain, turned into a political battle. Even as the searches were on, Banerjee stormed into Jain's residence, and took away documents and a laptop, accusing ED of seizing her party's internal documents and sensitive data relating to the 2026 assembly polls, including the candidate list. The agency accused Banerjee of interfering in the ED's action and taking away evidence....