The Enforcement Directorate seeks Supreme Court to stop the Delhi High Court order to grant relief to Karti Chidambaram, who was arrested by Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in the INX Media corruption case. A money laundering case has been registered against him.
The Delhi High Court on March 10 had restricted CBI from arresting Karti Chidambaram till March 20.
Meanwhile, Delhi High Court Justice Indermeet Kaur recused from hearing Karti Chidambaram’s bail plea. The matter has now been referred to another Bench.
Karti Chidambaram, businessman and son of senior Congress leader P Chidambaram, has moved the Delhi High Court seeking bail in connection with the INX media case. The high court will hear his petition on March 13. Currently, Karti has been sent to judicial custody till March 25 in the INX Media Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) clearance case.
On Monday it was reported that the court refused Karti’s plea for a separate cell in the jail in view of threat perception, as during his father’s tenure as Union Home Minister, several terrorists were kept in Tihar jail. The court said that while the social status of the Chidambaram family could not be ignored, Karti could not be treated differently from the other accused persons.
“However, only keeping in view the fact of the social status of accused and his father, he cannot be treated differently from other accused persons and cannot be allowed to be kept in separate prison. However, lock up in-charge and jail superintendent are directed to provide and ensure proper security and safety to accused during judicial custody, as per rules,” the court said.
Karti was arrested by the CBI on his return from the United Kingdom in connection with an FIR lodged on May 15 last year. The probe agency alleged irregularities in a Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) clearance given to a media house, INX Media, for receiving funds of about Rs 3.05 billion (Rs 305 crore) from overseas in 2007 when his father was the Union finance minister.