Kolkata, August 20: The Kolkata High Court‘s single bench reprimanded bank officials on Thursday for imposing debit restrictions on the accounts of Trinamool Congress MP Abhishek Banerjee. The court deemed these restrictions were based on a flimsy foundation.
Another hearing on the matter is scheduled for later Thursday, where bank officials will need to justify their decision to impose debit restrictions on Banerjee’s accounts.
Earlier this week, Abhishek Banerjee approached the Kolkata High Court, alleging that bank officials had placed debit restrictions on his account just before his trip to the United States for eye treatment. This trip had been approved by the Supreme Court earlier this month.
In his petition, Banerjee’s lawyer accused the bank officials of blocking two of his credit cards as well. The initial hearing on Thursday revealed that bank officials claimed the debit restrictions were implemented to update Know Your Customer (KYC) details.
Banerjee’s lawyer, Ayan Bhattacharya, informed the court that the debit restrictions were imposed without prior notice, and two credit cards were blocked. He argued that the rationale for updating KYC was weak, as the current KYC deadline is set to expire in December.
Justice Rao then questioned the bank’s lawyer, asking why it was necessary for the Diamond Harbour MP to be physically present at the bank when KYC updates could be done online.
The bank’s lawyer responded by stating that the bank was facing some internal issues, which necessitated the MP’s physical presence for the KYC update.
However, Justice Rao was not satisfied with this explanation, stating that imposing debit restrictions without prior notification was unacceptable.
The bank’s lawyer provided another explanation, arguing that since Abhishek Banerjee’s name, phone number, and other documents were linked to a case registered by the Enforcement Directorate, updating KYC was essential. The bank officials were not in a position to disclose details in open court.
This explanation further irritated Justice Rao, who instructed the bank’s lawyer not to alter their argument regarding the KYC update rationale. He then announced that the hearing would resume later in the day, requiring bank officials to clarify their position on the matter.
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