Bengal: Calcutta HC questions bank’s 'changing stand' on Abhishek Banerjee

Calcutta High Court on Thursday, 20 August questioned a private bank over its decision to freeze Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Abhishek Banerjee’s account and block his debit and credit cards, asking whether the lender could change its stand and subsequently cite pending Enforcement Directorate cases as a reason for the action.

Justice Krishna Rao was hearing a petition filed by Banerjee challenging the freezing of his bank account and blocking of his cards.

During the hearing, the bank said Banerjee’s name, PAN number and mobile numbers were linked with cases initiated by the ED authorities. Its lawyer handed over a document for the judge’s perusal only and questioned whether the petition against the bank was maintainable on such grounds.

Justice Rao, however, pointed out that the bank had not cited these issues in its two communications to Banerjee. The court asked whether the bank could change its stand and make subsequent claims about pending ED cases against the TMC MP.

The court also questioned the bank's insistence that Banerjee appear in person for KYC formalities, asking its lawyer whether it was not using e-KYC or was "very keen to see Banerjee in person".

The bank's lawyer said the account and cards had been blocked by the lender's central team. She also stated that e-KYC was not permissible online because the petitioner's account had been blocked.

The bank subsequently provided the court with the documents required from Banerjee for KYC updation, including a filled-up form, photograph and address proof. Justice Rao directed Banerjee to submit all the required documents to the bank during the course of the day.

The bank's lawyer said Banerjee would not have to visit the branch and that officials would instead visit his residence to collect the documents. The court directed the bank to inform Banerjee about the time of the visit and asked the TMC MP to be present at his residence at the appointed time to sign the documents.

The matter will be taken up again on Monday.

Moving the petition, Banerjee's lawyer Ayan Bhattacharjee said the MP's bank account had been frozen and his debit and credit cards blocked on 10 August, the same day the Supreme Court granted him permission to travel abroad for medical reasons. He told the court that the Diamond Harbour MP plans to travel abroad next week.

According to Bhattacharjee, the bank informed Banerjee through a message that his account and cards had been blocked for additional due diligence, resulting in their temporary suspension. He said the bank subsequently asked Banerjee to visit its nearest branch with original documents for KYC.

Bhattacharjee claimed that Banerjee's KYC was due only in December 2026 and that, when the MP sought clarification from the bank, he was told that he would receive a reply on the issue by 1 September.

With PTI inputs