KOLKATA, June 30: The Calcutta High Court on Tuesday refused an urgent hearing to a petition by the Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress over the freezing of its bank accounts.
Authorities placed a debit freeze on three TMC bank accounts, following complaints by rebel MLAs seeking a probe into the source of the funds.
Refusing to give precedence in hearing of the petition by the Mamata Banerjee-led faction of the TMC, Justice Saugata Bhattacharyya said the matter will come up for hearing according to the listing serial.
The Mamata Banerjee-led faction’s lawyer Kishore Dutta informed the court that three bank accounts of the party have been placed under debit freeze, blocking all outward transactions from these accounts, and sought an urgent hearing in the matter.
However, the court refused the plea for urgent hearing.
The debit operations of three bank accounts of the Trinamool Congress holding around Rs 440 crore have been frozen.The freeze follows complaints by some MLAs aligned with rebel leader Ritabrata Banerjee to the cyber crime police station under the Bidhannagar Police Commissionerate, seeking registration of an FIR and a detailed investigation into the accounts.In their complaints, the legislators questioned the source of funds deposited in the accounts and sought an inquiry into transactions.The MLAs urged investigators to ascertain whether the funds originated from lawful sources or from alleged unlawful activities, including suspected cut-money collections, diversion of public funds and proceeds of scams.
HC RELEASES FOR REASSIGNMENT ABHISHEK’S PLEA
Justice Tirthankar Ghosh of the Calcutta High Court on Tuesday released for reassignment a petition by TMC MP Abhishek Banerjee challenging a notice by the police for recording his voice sample in a case over his alleged intimidatory speech during the West Bengal assembly poll campaign.The court did not pass any order on Banerjee’s prayer for an interim order staying the police notice.
The petition will be placed before the Chief Justice for reassignment to a different bench of the high court.Justice Ghosh released the petition from his court for reassignment as a similar matter is pending before another bench of the high court.
The main matter relating to the alleged intimidatory speech is being heard before the bench of Justice Saugata Bhattacharyya.Abhishek had prayed for quashing the FIR.Justice Bhattacharyya had on May 21 granted Banerjee protection from coercive action till July 31 in an FIR over his comments made at a public meeting in April during election campaigning. (PTI)
