Trinamool Congress (TMC) national general secretary and MP Abhishek Banerjee’s personal bank account can now be operated normally after the debit-related restrictions imposed on it were lifted. The bank informed the Calcutta High Court on Monday that the account had been reactivated and that his debit and credit cards had also been restored.
During the hearing, the bank said the debit-related restriction on the account was imposed because the KYC (Know Your Customer) process had not been completed. According to the bank, the restriction was removed after the KYC update was completed, and the debit and credit cards were reactivated.
On August 20, the High Court had sought clarification from the bank regarding the KYC process. The bank had told the court that its officials could visit Abhishek Banerjee’s residence to obtain the documents required to complete the additional KYC process. The court had directed that the relevant documents be provided.
During Monday’s hearing, the bank’s lawyer told the court that the temporary restriction on the account had been imposed as part of the bank’s procedure. According to the bank, Abhishek Banerjee’s name had appeared in connection with another matter, following which a process at the central level led to the temporary restriction on the account.
The bank also clarified that the action was not intended to target Abhishek Banerjee personally.
The bank said that the possibility of a similar situation arising again in the future could not be completely ruled out because the earlier action involving the account was related to the bank’s internal process. After the court was informed that the account had been reactivated, Justice Krishna Rao disposed of Abhishek Banerjee’s petition.
Abhishek Banerjee approached the Calcutta High Court on August 17. His side told the court that he had not been given a clear reason for restricting the operation of his personal bank account before the action was taken.
The matter came up at a time when the Supreme Court had permitted him to travel abroad for eye treatment.
Banerjee’s lawyer questioned the bank’s action, arguing that proper procedure and notice should have been followed before restricting the account. During the initial hearing, the court had asked the bank to clarify the basis on which the restriction had been imposed.
After the account was restored, the court also advised the bank that customers should be given proper notice before debit-related restrictions are imposed on their bank accounts.
Justice Krishna Rao said that if an account needs to be restricted because of a KYC update or any other process, the customer should be informed in advance. The court said this practice should not be limited to Abhishek Banerjee’s case but should be followed for every bank customer.
