SC refuses to unfreeze TMC bank accounts, asks Calcutta HC to expedite hearing

SC refuses TMC plea to operate four debit-frozen bank accounts

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Thursday dismissed a plea by the Mamata Banerjee-led TMC faction seeking permission to operate four debit-frozen bank accounts, declining to interfere with a Calcutta High Court order that had rejected the request.A bench of Justices MM Sundresh and PB Varale noted that the Election Commission has frozen the party symbol and that the larger question of who is entitled to the funds in the accounts remains pending adjudication."We refrain from going into the merits. We are not inclined to exercise our jurisdiction under Article 136. We request high court to expedite the hearing," the bench said.The TMC had sought permission to operate four accounts with public sector banks that were debit-frozen by the West Bengal Police, arguing that the FIRs related to the freeze contained procedural lapses.Separately, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) has frozen Rs 440 crore in three accounts held by the party with HDFC Bank as part of its investigation into the alleged laundering of Rs 160 crore in party funds through Kolkata-based Carewell Aviation.The agency alleges that the funds were used to purchase an Embraer Legacy 600 aircraft and an Agusta helicopter for Rs 112 crore through what it described as dubious transactions.

The ED said the aircraft and helicopter were later rented to the TMC, with substantial amounts transferred on the pretext of their use.“The Embraer Legacy 600 aircraft and Agusta helicopter were rented to TMC itself, even though they were purchased from the corpus of the party, and substantial amounts were transferred on the pretext of aircraft usage. The above stated dubious arrangement is under probe to ascertain the actual beneficial purpose of the transactions,” the ED said.

The Calcutta High Court on August 27 had refused to pass an interim order allowing the Mamata Banerjee-led TMC faction to operate four debit-frozen bank accounts holding around Rs 804 crore. It had observed that granting such relief would undermine its earlier order allowing the political party to meet its day-to-day expenses.