Jolt to Kalighat-TMC, HC refuses to intervene in 'Account Freeze' case

The 'Kalighat Trinamool' has faced a major legal setback on Monday regarding the freezing of its primary financial assets. The Enforcement Directorate (ED) had previously locked three key bank accounts of the political party as part of an ongoing financial investigation under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). Seeking immediate judicial relief to operate these accounts, the party approached the Calcutta High Court. However, the single-judge bench of Justice Krishna Rao declined to interfere with the federal agency's freezing order, amplifying the ruling faction's administrative distress.

The roots of the financial gridlock trace back to deep internal operational turmoil within the Trinamool Congress, highlighted by an official letter written by Arup Biswas in his self-declared capacity as the party's treasurer. Addressing the Central Plaza branch of HDFC Bank, Biswas had explicitly demanded a complete halt on transactions, citing widespread organizational chaos, defection of several MPs, and rebellion among sitting MLAs. Biswas expressed strong apprehensions that checks signed by him at the party headquarters could be heavily misused in the current leadership vacuum. His stance received immediate political backing from Ritabrata Banerjee and a faction of ten rebel MLAs who formally requested the Bidhannagar South Police to halt all bank transactions.

Compounding the party's troubles, the Enforcement Directorate intercepted the matter after discovering highly suspicious, multi-crore transactions linked to the accounts. The agency's preliminary findings pointed toward alleged money laundering worth over Rs 160 crore via a private aviation company, following which they moved to block the accounts. While a separate bench under Justice Saugata Bhattacharya had initially provided temporary breathing room by allowing the party to withdraw funds under a court-appointed special officer, Monday's refusal by Justice Krishna Rao effectively nullified the operational benefit of that relief. This legal stalemate has left the 'Kalighat Trinamool' in an exceptionally uncomfortable position just ahead of its crucial July 21 annual rally.