Calcutta High Court Declines Urgent Hearing in TMC Bank Freeze Case

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 party bank accounts.

Justice Saugata Bhattacharyya said the matter would be taken up in the normal course as per the court’s listing schedule, rejecting the request for expedited hearing.

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, blocking all outward transactions, and sought immediate judicial relief.

The court, however, did not accede to the plea for urgency.

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

The freeze came after complaints were filed by several legislators aligned with rebel TMC leader Ritabrata Banerjee at the cyber crime police station under the Bidhannagar Police Commissionerate. The complainants sought registration of an FIR and a detailed probe into the source of the funds deposited in the accounts.

In their complaints, the legislators questioned whether the deposits came from lawful sources and asked for an inquiry into the transactions. They also urged investigators to examine allegations that the money 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 commented on the merits of the allegations, and the matter is expected to be heard according to the regular court roster.