According to Reuters, China’s ByteDance says India’s freeze on its bank accounts is equal to harassment and done illegally.

In mid-March, India ordered the Mumbai branches of Citibank and HSBC to freeze the accounts of ByteDance India, ByteDance’s operating entity in India, to investigate the entity’s financial dealings.

ByteDance filed a lawsuit to request India to lift the ban on its bank accounts. But Indian authorities denied its request last Wednesday, arranging another hearing on April 6.

In the court filing submitted on 25 March, ByteDance told the High Court in Mumbai that the authorities acted without any material evidence and prior notice.

ByteDance said blocking accounts during the investigation equals imposing undue coercion. And it’s “intended, improperly” to harass the petitioner.

Source: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-bytedance-india-tax-exclusive/exclusive-bytedance-says-indias-freeze-on-bank-accounts-is-harassment-court-filing-idUSKBN2BR09V