Calcutta High Court Declines Urgent Hearing on TMC Plea Against Bank Account Freeze

By Mahima Katal

Kolkata, June 30: The Calcutta High Court on Tuesday declined to grant an urgent hearing to a petition filed by the faction of the Trinamool Congress (TMC) led by West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, challenging the freezing of three of the party's bank accounts.

Justice Saugata Bhattacharyya said the matter would be heard in the ordinary course according to the court's listing schedule, rejecting the party's request for expedited consideration.

Senior advocate Kishore Dutta, appearing for the Mamata Banerjee-led faction, told the court that authorities had imposed a debit freeze on three TMC bank accounts, preventing any outward transactions, and sought immediate judicial intervention.

The court, however, declined the request for an urgent hearing.

According to the petition, the frozen accounts collectively hold around ₹440 crore (approximately US$51 million).

The freeze follows complaints lodged by several legislators aligned with rebel TMC leader Ritabrata Banerjee before the cyber crime police station under the Bidhannagar Police Commissionerate. The complainants sought the registration of a First Information Report (FIR) and a detailed investigation into the source of funds deposited in the accounts.

In their complaints, the legislators questioned whether the deposits originated from lawful sources and requested an inquiry into the accounts' financial transactions. They also urged investigators to examine allegations that the funds may be linked to illegal activities, including suspected "cut-money" collections, diversion of public funds and proceeds from alleged scams.

The High Court has not expressed any view on the merits of the allegations, and the matter is expected to be heard according to the regular court schedule.