SC to hear Karti plea against ED summons today

Already in the CBI custody, Karti Chidambaram, son of former Finance Minister P Chidambaram, approached the Supreme Court on Monday to challenge the summons issued by the Enforcement Directorate in the INX Media kickback case. He claimed the summons cannot be issued in a criminal case lodged by the CBI. The apex court has listed the petition for hearing on Tuesday.

Karti’s lawyers mentioned the petition before a bench headed by Chief Justice Dipak Misra on Monday requesting urgent hearing. Former Finance Minister P Chidambaram’s son Karti is accused of facilitating Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) approval to companies on payment of a premium at a time when his father was the Union Finance Minister. His petition will be taken up with another

petition filed by his father seeking protection of his privacy in the case.

Earlier too, Karti had requested to stay the summons issued by ED against him but the Court refused to pass any order. Karti is presently in custody of CBI which is probing his role in the FIPB clearance granted to INX Media in 2007.

The CBI confronted Karti with a statement made by INX Media Director Indrani Mukherjee claiming that bribe was paid to Karti to obtain FIPB clearance for the company.