The Calcutta High Court on Monday extended its earlier order allowing the Mamata Banerjee-led faction of the Trinamool Congress to meet day-to-day expenses from three party bank accounts till January next year, saying the Election Commission is yet to take a final decision on which of the two rival groups will hold the party symbol.
Justice Saugata Bhattacharyya extended the July 9 order till January 29 next year and fixed the matter for hearing again on December 14, 2026. The court said that if the Election Commission passes any order on the recognition of the two factions in the meantime, the parties will be free to seek vacation or variation of the High Court’s order.
The High Court had on July 9 appointed a special officer to manage the day-to-day expenses of the Mamata Banerjee camp from three party bank accounts that had been debit-frozen by the police. On Monday, the court noted that the Election Commission’s interim order of September 17 was meant only to address issues relating to the upcoming Assembly bypolls in Nandigram and Rejinagar.
The court noted that the Election Commission’s September 17 order will remain effective till the final determination of the dispute between the two factions under the Election Symbols (Reservation and Allotment) Order, 1968. Justice Bhattacharyya observed that the order was for the purpose of the by-elections to Rejinagar and Nandigram, to be held on October 6, and that “The same is in the nature of interim directions, pending substantive determination by ECI.” The court held that the main issue of which faction will hold the party symbol is yet to be decided by the Election Commission.
Citing the Election Commission’s September 17 order, the Ritabrata Banerjee-led faction claimed that the petitioners had lost the right to operate the three bank accounts. Justice Bhattacharyya, however, refused to accept that argument while extending the interim order. The Mamata Banerjee-led faction had earlier said the freezing of the bank accounts was intended to cripple the political party. The High Court had granted relief by allowing day-to-day expenses to be made under a special officer, and that order was later upheld by the Supreme Court after an appeal by the rival faction.
The Election Commission had directed on September 17 that, pending final determination, neither the Mamata Banerjee-led faction nor the faction led by Leader of Opposition Ritabrata Banerjee could use the name “All India Trinamool Congress (AITC)” or the reserved “Flowers and Grass” symbol. It had temporarily assigned the names “Mamata All India Trinamool Congress” and “Democratic Trinamool Congress” to the two factions led by Mamata Banerjee and Ritabrata Banerjee respectively.
During the hearing, the court received a report in a sealed cover from the court-appointed special officer. Police authorities also filed a report as directed by the court on July 9. The state government and the complainants argued that the petition by the Mamata Banerjee-led TMC group should be dismissed in view of the Election Commission’s September 17 order. They said the Commission had not allowed the Mamata Banerjee faction to use the party name “All India Trinamool Congress” and the reserved “flowers and grass” symbol, and since the three accounts in a private bank were in the name of AITC, the faction should be stopped from using them. They also argued that, in view of the September 17 order, the signatories to the three accounts had forfeited their right to operate them.
Senior advocate Shoeb Alam, appearing for the Mamata Banerjee-led group, told the court that the principal issues were still pending before the Election Commission. The state’s counsel also submitted that Rs 30 crore had been deposited in the three accounts after the Ritabrata Banerjee-led faction filed a complaint with Bidhannagar Police, which led to an investigation. He further said that Rs 35 crore had been transferred to Leaps and Bounds, an ED-chargesheeted company in the school jobs scam case. Overall, the High Court kept in place the arrangement for daily expenses from the three accounts while making it clear that the larger dispute over control of the party symbol remains to be decided by the Election Commission.
– Ends
Published By:
India Today Web Desk
Published On:
Sep 22, 2026 00:07 IST
