Trinamool Congress (TMC) national general secretary and Diamond Harbour MP Abhishek Banerjee on Monday approached the Calcutta High Court challenging the alleged freezing of his personal bank account by a private bank, claiming that the action was taken without following the prescribed procedure.

Justice Krishna Rao agreed to hear the matter on Wednesday, August 19, after directing Banerjee's counsel to serve notice on the concerned parties in the meantime.

Appearing for Banerjee, advocate Ayan Bhattacharjee submitted that the bank had imposed restrictions on the operation of his client's personal account without informing him of the reason for such action.

The plea was moved seeking urgent consideration, particularly in view of Banerjee's proposed foreign travel for medical treatment. The Supreme Court had recently permitted the TMC MP to travel abroad for three weeks for medical treatment, subject to conditions.

During Monday's hearing, Bhattacharjee questioned how the bank account could have been frozen without following the statutory procedure.

According to the counsel, the freezing of the account was not preceded by any communication informing Banerjee of the reason for the debit restriction.

He further argued that where an account is sought to be frozen in connection with a police investigation, the procedure contemplated under Section 107 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) would have to be followed. The provision, according to the submission, requires the police to approach the jurisdictional Magistrate for appropriate orders concerning attachment or seizure of property suspected to be connected with an offence.

The counsel therefore sought an urgent hearing of the petition.

Justice Rao questioned Banerjee's counsel as to whether any investigation was presently pending against the TMC MP.

In response, Bhattacharjee submitted that Banerjee had been granted protection from coercive action in ongoing proceedings and was complying with the conditions imposed by the Court.

The counsel maintained that the investigation and the freezing of the personal bank account were separate issues and that Banerjee was cooperating with the authorities in accordance with the Court's directions.

After hearing the submission, Justice Rao directed that notice be served upon the concerned parties and fixed the matter for hearing on Wednesday.

The development comes days after the Supreme Court permitted Banerjee to travel abroad for medical treatment after setting aside the Calcutta High Court's refusal to relax the restrictions on his foreign travel. The permission was subject to conditions including furnishing details of his itinerary and place of stay to the investigating agency.

The High Court is now expected to examine the legality of the alleged freezing of Banerjee's personal bank account and, in particular, whether the action was taken in accordance with the procedure prescribed by law.