The Calcutta High Court rejected the Trinamool Congress’ plea to operate bank accounts frozen by the ED

Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee and MP Abhishek Banerjee. | Photo credit: PTI

In a defeat for the Trinamool Congress, the Calcutta High Court on Monday (July 20, 2026) rejected the party’s request for permission to operate three bank accounts containing around ₹440 crore that had been frozen by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in a money laundering case involving alleged transfers of party funds to purchase an airplane and a helicopter.

The Bidhannagar police had earlier frozen the same three accounts on June 19 in response to an FIR filed by MLA Sandipan Saha, who now belongs to the Trinamool Congress faction led by Ritabrata Banerjee. In the FIR, he alleged illegal diversion of funds from these accounts.

However, on July 9, a bench headed by Justice Saugata Bhattacharya ordered the police to let the Mamata Banerjee-led faction use money from the accounts for day-to-day administrative purposes under the supervision of a special judicial officer.

Monday’s (July 20) order came in response to another plea filed by the Mamata Banerjee-led faction on July 10 challenging the ED’s decision to freeze the same accounts following a fresh FIR registered by the agency on July 8.

“The ED, after analyzing the petitioner’s bank accounts, has found that there have been substantial transfers of funds to various entities, the most prominent of which is the Carewell Group. The ED has not imposed a debit freeze on the other 36 accounts of the petitioner in which an amount of ₹ 164 crore is lying. This court finds no prima facie case and the balance of the above is in favor of the petitioners and against the order prayed for by the petitioners is denied,” the court said, presided over by Justice Krishna Rao.

The matter was tabled for further hearing on August 26. The court directed the ED to file an affidavit regarding the investigation within three weeks.

On July 10, the Bidhannagar police also froze another 12 bank accounts of the party in several private and nationalized banks containing more than ₹1,000 crore.

Published – 20 Jul 2026 22:14 IST