The All India Trinamool Congress (TMC) has moved the Supreme Court against the Calcutta High Court’s refusal to grant interim relief against the Enforcement Directorate’s (ED) decision to freeze three of its bank accounts in a money laundering case.
The special leave petition assails the High Court’s interim order declining to stay the ED’s debit freeze on the accounts, despite the party’s plea that it be allowed to operate them pending disposal of its writ petition.
The controversy relates to the ED’s action under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002 (PMLA), whereby the agency froze three bank accounts of the political party as part of its investigation into alleged financial transactions linked to the purchase of an aircraft and a helicopter. The ED has claimed that the accounts collectively hold around Rs 440 crore.
Before the Calcutta High Court, the TMC contended that the freezing of its bank accounts had brought its routine organisational and administrative activities to a standstill. It argued that the action had crippled the party’s financial operations and sought interim permission to access and operate the accounts until the writ petition was finally adjudicated.
The High Court, however, declined to grant any interim protection, observing that no case was made out for suspending the ED’s action at that stage of the proceedings. While refusing to stay the freezing order, the Court directed that the writ petition be heard on merits.
Challenging the interim order, the TMC has now approached the Supreme Court seeking its intervention. The party has prayed for the High Court’s order to be set aside and for interim permission to operate the frozen bank accounts until the legality of the ED’s action is finally determined in the pending writ proceedings.
The Supreme Court is expected to examine whether interim relief is warranted in favour of the political party while the challenge to the ED’s freezing order remains pending before the Calcutta High Court.
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