Calcutta HC Refuses Interim Relief To Mamata Faction On Four Frozen TMC Accounts

The Calcutta High Court on Thursday refused to grant interim relief to the Mamata Banerjee-led faction of the Trinamool Congress over the freezing of four party bank accounts. The accounts, held at the Harish Mukherjee Road branch of a public sector bank, were placed under debit restrictions following instructions from the West Bengal Police. The court decided that the matter would require further consideration before any directions are issued.

The faction led by former West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and her nephew Abhishek Banerjee had approached the High Court seeking the removal of the debit restrictions. In its plea, the faction argued that access to the accounts was necessary to meet the party's routine financial requirements. It particularly cited the need to pay salaries to 215 full-time party workers.

The petition also sought a stay on a case registered at the Cybercrime Police Station under the Bidhannagar City Police in North 24 Parganas district. The bank restrictions were imposed after the state police issued instructions in connection with the case. The Mamata Banerjee-led faction argued that continued restrictions on the accounts were affecting the party's ability to manage its regular expenses.

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The matter was heard by Justice Saugata Bhattacharya on Thursday. Rather than granting immediate relief, the court directed the West Bengal government to file an affidavit explaining its position. The Mamata Banerjee-led faction will then have an opportunity to file a counter-affidavit in response. The court indicated that the matter would be considered further after both sides complete these filings.

Justice Bhattacharya also referred to an earlier matter involving four Trinamool Congress bank accounts held with a private sector bank. In that case, the same bench had permitted partial and conditional de-freezing of the accounts. However, the judge made it clear that the earlier order did not warrant immediate directions in the present case.

The court will take up the matter for further consideration after the state government's affidavit and the faction's counter-affidavit are filed. Until then, the debit restrictions on the four accounts remain in place, with the High Court declining to intervene at the interim stage.

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