The Supreme Court on Tuesday refused to interfere with the Calcutta High Court's order declining interim relief to the Trinamool Congress (TMC) regarding three bank accounts frozen by the Enforcement Directorate (ED). A bench comprising Justices M.M. Sundresh and Prasanna B. Varale disposed of the plea while granting liberty to the TMC leadership to file its specific objections before the court-appointed Special Officer within a fortnight.
The apex court noted that the High Court had passed a balanced order regarding the operation of accounts for routine party administration. Previously, the High Court observed that while three primary HDFC accounts holding ₹440.42 crore were under debit-freeze, the party maintained 36 other bank accounts containing ₹164 crore. The top court had earlier questioned the central probing agency whether a portion of the frozen funds could be released under the supervision of a Special Officer to cover day-to-day administrative expenses.
The ED froze the three accounts following a money laundering investigation stemming from a West Bengal Police FIR over alleged financial irregularities and unlawful fund routing. Preliminary investigations by the central agency revealed that approximately ₹160 crore was transferred from TMC accounts to Carewell Aviation India Pvt Ltd and an associated entity between April 2023 and June 2026. Officials claimed that ₹82.96 crore was further routed to purchase an Embraer Legacy 600 business jet and an AgustaWestland 109SP helicopter.