Supreme Court denies TMC faction access to frozen accounts

The Supreme Court on October 1 declined to let the Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress faction operate four bank accounts frozen by West Bengal Police, and asked the Calcutta High Court to expedite its hearing. The accounts were reported to hold around ₹804 crore. The bench said it was not deciding the merits of the dispute or who is entitled to the funds. Justices M.M. Sundresh and P.B. Varale refused to interfere with the High Court’s August 27 order denying interim access. The Supreme Court said the question of entitlement remained pending alongside a dispute over the party’s name and election symbol before the Election Commission of India. Its direction for an expedited hearing did not set a date or determine whether the faction may eventually use the money. The four accounts were debit-frozen by West Bengal Police in connection with a complaint. Reports differ in how they characterize its allegations, describing it as related to cybercrime or to suspected illegal funds and financial dealings. Those allegations have not been established in the court proceedings described in the reports.