Calcutta HC denies interim relief on 4 frozen Trinamool bank accounts
Synopsis
The Calcutta High Court has refused to unfreeze four Trinamool Congress bank accounts tied to the Mamata Banerjee faction, declining even interim relief while the state police-linked freeze leaves 215 party whole-timers without salaries. The court's insistence on affidavits first signals a prolonged legal battle — and puts the spotlight squarely on West Bengal Police's role in the intra-party dispute.
Key Takeaways
The Calcutta High Court on 27 August refused interim relief to the Mamata Banerjee -led TMC faction on 4 frozen bank accounts at a public sector bank's Harish Mukherjee Road branch .
The accounts were frozen on instructions from West Bengal Police , linked to a cybercrime case at Bidhannagar City Police Station , North 24 Parganas .
The faction argued the freeze prevents payment of salaries to 215 party whole-timers .
Justice Saugata Bhattacharya directed the state government to file an affidavit; the court will rule only after affidavits from both sides are submitted.
The same bench had earlier allowed partial de-freezing of 4 TMC accounts at a private sector bank, but declined to extend that precedent here.
The Calcutta High Court on Thursday, 27 August refused to grant any interim relief to the Mamata Banerjee-led faction of the All India Trinamool Congress (TMC) over the freezing of four party bank accounts at the Harish Mukherjee Road branch of a public sector bank in Kolkata. The bench of Justice Saugata Bhattacharya directed the state government to first file an affidavit before any decision is taken.
Background: Why the Accounts Were Frozen
The debit restrictions on the four TMC accounts were imposed by the bank following instructions from the West Bengal Police. The freeze is linked to a case registered at the Cybercrime Police Station under the Bidhannagar City Police in North 24 Parganas district. The Mamata Banerjee-led faction — described in court proceedings as the 'original but minority' faction of the party — approached the High Court seeking both a lifting of the debit restrictions and a stay on the related police case.
What the Faction Argued
In its plea, the Mamata Banerjee-led group contended that the debit freeze was crippling day-to-day party operations, most critically the payment of salaries to 215 party whole-timers. The faction argued that without access to these funds, basic organisational functions could not continue. The petition also sought a stay on the cybercrime case that prompted the police instructions to the bank in the first place.
What the Court Decided
Justice Bhattacharya declined to issue any interim directions at this stage. He ordered the West Bengal government to file an affidavit on the matter, to be followed by a counter-affidavit from the petitioning faction. The court made clear that it would hear the substantive matter only after both affidavits are on record.
Notably, Justice Bhattacharya acknowledged that the same bench had previously allowed a partial and conditional de-freezing of four TMC bank accounts held with a private sector bank. However, he stated that no such instruction would be issued in the current case at this juncture, distinguishing the two situations without elaborating further.
Broader Political Context
The case reflects the deepening legal and political turbulence within the Trinamool Congress following its split. The Mamata Banerjee-Abhishek Banerjee faction, though identified as the 'minority' group in legal proceedings, represents the former ruling establishment of West Bengal. The freezing of party accounts — and the state police's role in triggering it — adds a pointed dimension to the intra-party dispute, raising questions about the use of law enforcement machinery in factional politics. The matter is expected to return to court once the affidavit process is complete.
Point of View
A detail that deserves more scrutiny than it has received. The court's own prior precedent of partially de-freezing TMC accounts at a private bank makes its restraint here conspicuous. The deeper question is whether state police machinery is being deployed as a lever in what is fundamentally an intra-party succession battle — and whether the judiciary will eventually say so plainly once the affidavits are on record.
NationPress
27 Aug 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Why were the Trinamool Congress bank accounts frozen?
The four TMC bank accounts at the Harish Mukherjee Road branch of a public sector bank were frozen on instructions from West Bengal Police, linked to a case registered at the Cybercrime Police Station under Bidhannagar City Police in North 24 Parganas district. The exact nature of the cybercrime case has not been detailed in court proceedings made public so far.
What did the Mamata Banerjee faction seek from the Calcutta High Court?
The faction sought two reliefs: lifting of the debit restrictions on the four frozen bank accounts, and a stay on the cybercrime case that prompted the police instructions to freeze the accounts. The court declined both at this stage.
What did Justice Saugata Bhattacharya order?
Justice Bhattacharya directed the West Bengal government to file an affidavit on the matter, to be followed by a counter-affidavit from the Mamata Banerjee-led faction. The court said it would take a decision only after both documents are filed.
Has the Calcutta High Court previously unfrozen TMC accounts?
Yes. The same bench of Justice Bhattacharya had earlier allowed a partial and conditional de-freezing of four Trinamool Congress accounts held with a private sector bank. However, the court distinguished that precedent and declined to issue similar instructions in the current case involving a public sector bank.
How does the account freeze affect the Trinamool Congress faction?
According to the faction's plea, the debit restrictions prevent the party from meeting daily operational expenses, most critically the payment of salaries to 215 party whole-timers. Without court relief, those payments remain blocked until the legal process concludes.
