Kolkata, Aug. 17 -- Trinamool Congress national general secretary and Diamond Harbour MP Abhishek Banerjee has moved the Calcutta High Court, challenging the alleged freezing of his personal bank account by a private bank, with his counsel claiming that the restriction was imposed without following the procedure prescribed by law.
Justice Krishna Rao on Monday agreed to hear the petition on Wednesday after directing Banerjee's counsel to serve notice on the concerned parties.
The plea assumes significance as Banerjee is preparing to travel abroad for medical treatment. The Supreme Court had recently permitted the MP to travel overseas for three weeks, subject to conditions, including sharing his itinerary and place of stay with the investigating agency. Banerjee's counsel told the court that the bank had restricted transactions in the account without communicating the reason for the action. He argued that if the restriction was linked to a police investigation, the statutory safeguards governing attachment or seizure of property would have to be followed.
Referring to Section 107 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), the counsel submitted that the police would have to approach the jurisdictional Magistrate for appropriate orders where property was suspected to be connected with an offence. Justice Rao sought to know whether any investigation was currently pending against Banerjee. His counsel said the MP had protection from coercive action in ongoing proceedings and was complying with the conditions imposed by the court.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.