INX Media case: Supreme Court to hear ED's plea against Karti Chidambaram

The Supreme Court will on Monday hear the plea filed by Enforcement Directorate (ED) against Karti Chidambaram, in the INX media money laundering case.

In a March 26 hearing, the apex court extended the interim protection of Karti from March 26 to April 2.

Earlier, the apex court granted interim protection to Karti from arrest by the ED in connection with the case.

On February 28, Karti was arrested at the Chennai airport on his return from the UK for his alleged role in facilitating Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) clearance for INX Media Ltd and its directors, Peter and Indrani Mukerjea.

Karti allegedly took service charges for getting the clearance to INX Media for receiving funds from abroad worth Rs 3.05 billion in 2007 when his father P Chidambaram was the Union finance minister in the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government.

Karti Chidambaram in CBI custody till Mar 6; Swami calls it right decision

While businessman Karti Chidambaram was on Thursday remanded in CBI custody for five days by special CBI judge Sunil Rana, it emerged that CBI might also soon question Karti’s father, former finance minister P Chidambaram, in the INX Media bribery case. Meanwhile, BJP leader and Chidambaram critic Subramanian Swamy called the court decision the right move.

“Former finance minister P Chidambaram will be summoned to the agency headquarters here and questioned soon. Although he is not named as accused, his role in the grant of irregular FIPB (Foreign Investment Promotion Board) clearance to INX Media is part of the FIR,” a New Indian Express report quoted a senior CBI official supervising the probe as saying.

In the hearing of the INX Media case, the agency accused Karti earlier in the day of being the ‘prime conspirator’ and the ultimate beneficiary in the payoff scandal.
Appearing for Karti Chidambaram in the hearing, lawyer and Congress party member Abhishek Manu Singhvi attacked CBI for relying on the statement of controversial INX media founders Peter and Indrani Mukerjea, the latter in jail as an accused in the murder of her daughter Sheena Bora.