INX Media case: Delhi HC grants interim relief from arrest to Karti Chidambaram till March 20
The Delhi High Court on Friday granted interim relief to Karti Chidambaram, son of Congress leader P Chidambaram, from arrest by the Enforcement Directorate in connection with the INX Media money laundering case.
The interim relief to Karti Chidambaram from “any coercive action taken against him” by the ED till March 20 comes a day after the Supreme Court transferred to the Delhi High Court his plea seeking quashing of summons issued by probe agency.
The court also said that if the trial court grants bail to Karti in the CBI case, ED shall not arrest him till the next date. Issuing notice to ED and Centre, the court sought response from them on Karti’s plea challenging issuance of summons and proceedings in the case.
Justice S Ravindra Bhat also made it clear that in case the special court grants Karti bail in the CBI case, which has registered a corruption case against him, the ED will not arrest him till the next hearing before it.
“Having heard learned counsel for the parties, we think it appropriate to permit the petitioner in terms of the request made before this court, to approach the High Court of Delhi in appropriate jurisdiction in the course of the day. We would request the learned Chief Justice of the High Court to allocate the matter to a Bench that would deal with the matter preferably on 9th March, 2018. If the petitioner files an application for interim relief, we request the Bench that is going to be constituted to deal with the same in accordance with law,” a three-judge bench headed by Chief Justice of India Dipak Misra had ordered on Thursday.
Earlier in the day, the CBI produced Karti before a Delhi court and sought his custody for six more days. The three-day custody granted to him by the court ended on Friday.
The court also extended the judicial custody of Karti’s CA S Bhaskararaman, who was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate in the case, till March 22.
In his plea, Karti claimed that he had never attempted to influence witnesses, tamper with documentary evidence, pollute or obstruct the judicial process as was alleged by the probe agency. Earlier, he had sought bail from the court alleging that the CBI was acting at the behest of the Centre to malign the reputation of his father during whose tenure Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) clearance was granted to the INX Media group.
Karti is currently in the custody of the CBI which arrested him at Chennai Airport on February 28.
The interim relief to Karti Chidambaram from “any coercive action taken against him” by the ED till March 20 comes a day after the Supreme Court transferred to the Delhi High Court his plea seeking quashing of summons issued by probe agency.
The court also said that if the trial court grants bail to Karti in the CBI case, ED shall not arrest him till the next date. Issuing notice to ED and Centre, the court sought response from them on Karti’s plea challenging issuance of summons and proceedings in the case.
Justice S Ravindra Bhat also made it clear that in case the special court grants Karti bail in the CBI case, which has registered a corruption case against him, the ED will not arrest him till the next hearing before it.
“Having heard learned counsel for the parties, we think it appropriate to permit the petitioner in terms of the request made before this court, to approach the High Court of Delhi in appropriate jurisdiction in the course of the day. We would request the learned Chief Justice of the High Court to allocate the matter to a Bench that would deal with the matter preferably on 9th March, 2018. If the petitioner files an application for interim relief, we request the Bench that is going to be constituted to deal with the same in accordance with law,” a three-judge bench headed by Chief Justice of India Dipak Misra had ordered on Thursday.
Earlier in the day, the CBI produced Karti before a Delhi court and sought his custody for six more days. The three-day custody granted to him by the court ended on Friday.
The court also extended the judicial custody of Karti’s CA S Bhaskararaman, who was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate in the case, till March 22.
In his plea, Karti claimed that he had never attempted to influence witnesses, tamper with documentary evidence, pollute or obstruct the judicial process as was alleged by the probe agency. Earlier, he had sought bail from the court alleging that the CBI was acting at the behest of the Centre to malign the reputation of his father during whose tenure Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) clearance was granted to the INX Media group.
Karti is currently in the custody of the CBI which arrested him at Chennai Airport on February 28.