New Delhi, October 1: The Supreme Court on Thursday declined to grant relief to the Mamata Banerjee-led faction of the Trinamool Congress (TMC), which had sought permission to operate four bank accounts that have been frozen for debit transactions.
A bench comprising Justices MM Sundresh and PB Varale refused to interfere with an earlier order of the Calcutta High Court, which had rejected the party’s request for interim access to the accounts.
The apex court observed that the Election Commission has frozen the party’s election symbol, while the larger dispute over which faction is legally entitled to the funds remains pending before the appropriate forum.
“We refrain from going into the merits. We are not inclined to exercise our jurisdiction under Article 136. We request the high court to expedite the hearing,” the bench said.
The Supreme Court’s order leaves the existing restrictions on the four accounts in place while the broader dispute concerning control over the party’s assets and funds is adjudicated.
The Calcutta High Court had on August 27 declined to pass an interim direction permitting the TMC faction led by West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee to access the accounts, which together hold approximately Rs 804 crore.
The high court had noted that it had previously allowed the political organisation to meet its routine expenses. It observed that granting the additional relief sought by the faction could undermine that earlier arrangement.
The matter concerns four accounts maintained with public sector banks. The accounts were debit-frozen by the West Bengal Police, following which the TMC faction approached the courts seeking permission to conduct transactions.
The party challenged the restrictions and argued that there were deficiencies in the FIRs forming the basis for the freezing of the accounts.
The dispute over the accounts is linked to a larger legal contest concerning the party’s organisational control and election symbol. With the Election Commission’s decision on the symbol forming part of the broader dispute, the Supreme Court chose not to examine the substantive claims at this stage.
By declining to exercise its jurisdiction under Article 136 of the Constitution, the apex court effectively left the Calcutta High Court proceedings to continue.
The bench also asked the high court to expedite the hearing, indicating that the underlying dispute should be addressed without unnecessary delay.
The development means the TMC faction will have to pursue its claims before the high court while the question of entitlement to the funds remains unresolved.
The Supreme Court did not make any determination on the merits of the rival claims over the bank accounts or the allegations concerning the freezing orders.