“When will ED freeze temple funds?” Derek O’Brien questions the freezing of TMC accounts

Trinamool Congress Rajya Sabha Chairman Derek O’Brien. File | Photo credit: Shashi Shekhar Kashyap

Trinamool Congress Rajya Sabha leader Derek O’Brien on Friday (July 10, 2026) questioned the Enforcement Directorate’s (ED) freezing of the party’s three bank accounts and asked when it would freeze “temple funds”, in an apparent reference to the alleged embezzlement of donations at the Ram temple in Ayodhya.

“ED freezes 3 TMC bank accounts with HDFC. When will ED freeze temple funds?” Mr O’Brien, Trinamool joint national secretary, said in a post on X.

ED freezes 3 bank accounts of TMC with HDFC.
When will ED freeze temple funds.

— Derek O’Brien | Derek O’Brien (@derekobrienmp) July 10, 2026

The remarks came as the opposition demanded a judicial probe into alleged financial irregularities in the Ram temple’s donation management system.

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Wednesday (July 8) said it has frozen three Trinamool Congress (TMC) bank accounts with deposits worth ₹440 crore under the Anti-Money Laundering Act following a probe into an alleged case of misappropriation of funds.

The central agency said in a statement that the orders were issued under Section 17 (1A) of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).

This section authorizes the ED to freeze an asset, such as a bank deposit, if such asset cannot be seized and it is necessary that the asset not be transferred or otherwise disposed of.

Published – July 10, 2026 12:12 PM IST