The Supreme Court on Monday asked the Enforcement Directorate whether a limited amount of funds from the Trinamool Congress’ frozen bank accounts could be released to a court-appointed administrator for the party to meet its daily expenses, Bar and Bench reported.
The bench of Justices MM Sundresh and PB Varale was hearing a plea by the Mamata Banerjee-led faction of the TMC challenging the Calcutta High Court order.
The High Court had on July 20 refused to allow the TMC to operate three bank accounts frozen by the ED. The party had approached the High Court challenging the probe agency’s action under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act.
The case pertains to alleged financial irregularities, unlawful collection of money and routing of suspected funds through certain bank accounts of the TMC.
On June 19, the Kolkata Police froze debit operations on the accounts, a day after rebel TMC MLA Biswanath Das filed a complaint alleging that funds had been misused. The party has been grappling with factionalism after its loss in the West Bengal Assembly elections in May.
On July 8, the ED said that it had frozen three bank accounts of the TMC, holding deposits worth Rs 440 crore.
The agency claimed that around Rs 160 crore was transferred from the party’s bank accounts to Carewell Aviation India Private Limited…