Calcutta High Court Denies Urgent Hearing on TMC's Bank Account Freeze

Court's Decision on TMC's Petition

On Tuesday, the Calcutta High Court declined to expedite the hearing of a petition filed by the Trinamool Congress (TMC), led by Mamata Banerjee, regarding the freezing of the party's bank accounts. This action followed complaints from rebel legislators, which led authorities to impose a debit freeze on three of TMC's bank accounts. These legislators are seeking an investigation into the source of the funds.

Justice Sougata Bhattacharya stated that the court would adhere to the order of listing for hearing the case, thus rejecting the request for an immediate hearing.

Details of the Bank Account Freeze

The debit facility for withdrawing funds from three TMC bank accounts has been halted, with approximately ₹440 crores deposited in these accounts. This freeze was implemented following complaints from certain legislators associated with rebel leader Ritabrata Banerjee. They filed a complaint with the Bidhannagar Police Commissionerate's Cyber Crime Police Station, requesting an FIR and a thorough investigation of the accounts.

In their complaints, the legislators raised questions about the source of the funds in the accounts and demanded an inquiry into the transactions.

Concerns Over Fund Legitimacy

The legislators urged investigators to determine whether the funds originated from legitimate sources or were linked to alleged illegal activities, including suspected 'cut-money' collection, misuse of public funds, and amounts obtained through scams.