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

The Calcutta High Court on Tuesday declined to grant an urgent hearing on a petition filed by the Trinamool Congress (TMC) challenging the freezing of three of its bank accounts, directing that the matter be taken up in the normal course as per the court’s roster.

The petition was mentioned before Justice Saugata Bhattacharyya by senior counsel appearing for the Mamata Banerjee-led party, who sought an early hearing on the grounds that the restriction on the accounts was affecting the party’s day-to-day functioning and financial operations. However, the court refused to treat the matter as urgent and said it would be heard according to the regular schedule.

The three bank accounts, which reportedly contain around ₹440 crore, were placed under debit freeze following complaints alleging financial irregularities. The complaints were filed by a group of Trinamool legislators aligned with former Rajya Sabha member Ritabrata Banerjee, who sought an investigation into the source of funds deposited in the accounts and requested that the money not be allowed to be withdrawn until the inquiry was completed.

In its petition before the High Court, the TMC argued that the freeze had been imposed without following due legal procedure and contended that the action had severely affected the party’s ability to carry out routine organisational and administrative activities. The party sought immediate judicial intervention to lift the restrictions and restore access to the accounts.

The State’s counsel informed the court that the matter involved an ongoing investigation and opposed the plea for urgent listing. After hearing preliminary submissions from both sides, Justice Bhattacharyya declined to accord priority to the case, observing that it would be listed and heard in accordance with the court’s normal procedure.