Kolkata, August 24, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
The bank that had imposed debit restrictions on the personal account of Trinamool Congress general secretary and Diamond Harbour Lok Sabha member Abhishek Banerjee informed the Calcutta High Court on Monday that the freeze had been lifted and his debit and credit cards had been reactivated.
Banerjee, nephew of former West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, had moved the High Court alleging that the bank froze his account and blocked his debit and credit cards without prior notice, shortly before his scheduled visit to the US for ophthalmic treatment. The Supreme Court had permitted the proposed visit earlier this month.
The matter was heard by a single-judge bench of Justice Krishna Rao.
During the hearing, the bank informed the court that the restrictions on debit transactions and the blocking of the cards were linked to pending Know Your Customer (KYC) updation. Following completion of the KYC process, the restrictions were removed and Banerjee’s cards were restored, the bank’s counsel said.
The lawyer also told the court that the account had been temporarily frozen as part of a routine procedure and that the bank had not intended to take such action against Banerjee.
According to the bank, Banerjee’s name had surfaced in connection with another case, following which the account was temporarily frozen in accordance with its procedure. The account has since been made operational, the counsel said.
After hearing the submissions, Justice Rao disposed of the matter.
Before doing so, the court advised the bank to inform customers before imposing debit restrictions on their accounts. Justice Rao made it clear that the practice should apply to all customers and not only in Banerjee’s case.
The court also advised the bank to communicate the reason for imposing any debit restriction to the concerned customer in advance.
FOLLOW NOW
