INX MEDIA CASE: CHIDAMBARAM GETS INTERIM RELIEF FROM HC
The Delhi high court on Wednesday granted former Union minister P Chidambaram interim protection from arrest till August 1 in the Enforcement Directorate’s (ED) money laundering case related to INX Media.
Justice K Pathak while granting interim relief directed Chidambaram to cooperate with the ED’s investigation as and when required and not to leave the country without court’s prior permission. The court sought the response of the ED on the senior Congress leader’s plea in which he said he was apprehending arrest.
The court asked ED not to take any coercive steps till August 1 when it would also hear Chidambaram’s both the pleas in INX Media cases lodged by the ED and the CBI, seeking anticipatory bail.
Additional solicitor general Tushar Mehta, appearing for the ED, opposed Chidambaram’s plea on the point of maintainability contending that the politician was forum shopping which could not be allowed.
Mehta, who appeared along with advocate Amit Mahajan, said while in the Aircel-Maxis case, which had allegation of a similar modus operandi, Chidambaram had approached the trial court seeking anticipatory bail and he moved the high court for the relief in the INX Media case.
Senior advocate Dyan Krishan and advocate P K Dubey, appearing for Chidambaram said they were apprehending arrest as in the main case, the CBI had said it required custodial interrogation of the Congress leader.
The senior Congress leader’s role came under the scanner of the investigating agencies in the ~3,500-crore Aircel-Maxis deal and the INX Media case involving ~305 crore. The CBI registered an FIR on May 15 2017, alleging irregularities in the FIPB clearance to the group in 2007 when Chidambaram was the finance minister.
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