Mamata faction moves Calcutta HC over party bank accounts freeze ahead of Durga Puja
Synopsis
Mamata Banerjee's 'original but minority' TMC faction is locked out of its own party funds — and the timing could not be worse. With Durga Puja days away, a court-appointed special officer is blocking withdrawals, salaries are unpaid, and the ECI's freeze on the TMC's name and symbol adds a fresh legal tangle that the Calcutta High Court won't even hear urgently until after the festive break.
Key Takeaways
The Mamata Banerjee -led TMC faction filed a petition before Justice Saugata Bhattacharyya of the Calcutta High Court on 5 October 2026 .
The faction accused court-appointed Special Officer Subrata Talukdar (retired) of blocking withdrawals from three frozen party bank accounts ahead of Durga Puja.
The petition cited inability to pay office rents and employee salaries ; an urgent hearing request was rejected.
West Bengal Police had originally frozen the accounts over alleged illegal transactions; the court later placed them under a special officer's supervision.
The ECI recently froze the TMC's name 'All India Trinamool Congress' and its 'Flowers and Grass' symbol, adding a legal complication over who can operate the accounts.
The court's existing order permits the Mamata faction to access funds through the special officer until 29 January 2027 ; the next hearing is expected after the festive recess.
The Mamata Banerjee-led faction of the All India Trinamool Congress (TMC), describing itself as the 'original but minority' grouping of the party, on Monday, 5 October 2026, moved a single-judge bench of the Calcutta High Court challenging a court-appointed special officer's refusal to permit withdrawals from three frozen party bank accounts. The petition, filed before Justice Saugata Bhattacharyya, comes just days before the Durga Puja festive season, with the faction citing an inability to pay office rents and employee salaries.
What the Petition Seeks
The Mamata Banerjee faction — which also includes her nephew Abhishek Banerjee — has accused Special Officer Subrata Talukdar (retired judge) of blocking withdrawals ahead of the festival season. The petition specifically requests the court's permission to access funds from the three accounts held with a private bank, and also sought an urgent hearing in the matter.
Despite admitting the petition, Justice Bhattacharyya declined the request for an urgent hearing. The case is now expected to be taken up only after the court reopens following its festive vacation.
Background: How the Accounts Were Frozen
The West Bengal Police had earlier placed the three TMC bank accounts under freeze on charges of illegal transactions. The Mamata faction challenged this move before the Calcutta High Court, following which Justice Bhattacharyya appointed a special officer to manage those accounts. On 9 July this year, the judge ordered that the Mamata Banerjee-led faction would have control over the accounts — but not unconditionally.
The court ruled that the faction could not spend money 'unbridled'; all expenditure would require the special officer's approval, limited to daily operational costs and employee salaries. This arrangement was originally ordered to remain in force until 29 January 2027.
The ECI Complication
A fresh legal wrinkle has emerged from the Election Commission of India (ECI)'s recent decision to freeze both the name 'All India Trinamool Congress' and the party's original electoral symbol of 'Flowers and Grass'. The state government counsel argued that since the accounts are held under the name 'All India Trinamool Congress', neither faction should be entitled to operate them.
Justice Bhattacharyya, however, did not accept this argument, noting that the ECI's decision pertained specifically to the party's name and electoral symbol, and was not a final determination. He maintained that the Mamata faction's right to access the accounts through the court-appointed special officer would continue until 29 January 2027.
The Bypolls Question
The petition also flagged that the special officer had sought clarification on whether the new name and electoral symbol allotted to the Mamata faction were valid only for the bypolls scheduled for the Nandigram and Rejinagar Assembly Constituencies on Tuesday, or held broader applicability — a question that remains unresolved pending the next hearing.
What Comes Next
With the Calcutta High Court set to observe a festive recess, the Mamata faction faces the prospect of entering the Durga Puja season without access to party funds. The next substantive hearing will likely determine both the operational future of the accounts and the scope of the Mamata group's legal identity as a recognised political entity — a question that carries implications well beyond the festival season.
Point of View
At its core, a fight over who controls the financial sinews of a fractured party — and the courts are now the de facto arbiters of TMC's organisational identity. The ECI's freeze on the party name and symbol adds a layer the Calcutta High Court has so far declined to fully engage with, and that ambiguity will likely be exploited by whichever faction benefits from prolonged uncertainty. Denying an urgent hearing ahead of Durga Puja — when organisational expenditure peaks — is a material blow to the Mamata camp, regardless of how the next substantive hearing goes. The deeper question mainstream coverage sidesteps: if a court-appointed officer is effectively running a political party's finances, at what point does judicial oversight shade into judicial management of intra-party politics?
NationPress
5 Oct 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Why has the Mamata Banerjee faction moved the Calcutta High Court over TMC bank accounts?
The faction moved court because a court-appointed special officer, retired judge Subrata Talukdar, has been refusing to permit withdrawals from three frozen TMC bank accounts ahead of Durga Puja. The Mamata group says it cannot pay office rents or employee salaries as a result, and has sought the court's permission to access the funds.
Why were the TMC bank accounts frozen in the first place?
The West Bengal Police froze the three accounts, held with a private bank, on charges of illegal transactions. The Mamata Banerjee-led faction challenged the freeze before the Calcutta High Court, which then appointed a special officer to manage the accounts.
What role does the Election Commission's decision play in this dispute?
The Election Commission of India recently froze the name 'All India Trinamool Congress' and the party's 'Flowers and Grass' electoral symbol, which are also the names under which the bank accounts are held. The state government argued this means neither TMC faction should operate the accounts, but Justice Bhattacharyya rejected this argument, ruling the ECI decision was not final and pertained only to the name and symbol.
What did the Calcutta High Court decide on the urgent hearing request?
Justice Saugata Bhattacharyya admitted the petition but rejected the Mamata faction's plea for an urgent hearing. The matter is expected to be taken up only after the court reopens following its festive vacation.
Until when does the existing court order on the TMC accounts remain in force?
Justice Bhattacharyya's order allowing the Mamata Banerjee-led faction to access the accounts through the court-appointed special officer remains in force until 29 January 2027. The special officer retains authority over what can and cannot be spent.
