Twin blows to Karti: CBI custody extended, SC declines relief from ED

NEW DELHI: Former finance minister P Chidambaram’s son Karti suffered twin disappointments in court on Tuesday, with a special court extending his CBI custody until Friday and the Supreme Court declining him protection from fresh summons and possible arrest by the Enforcement Directorate for alleged money laundering.
Karti’s lawyer Abhishek Manu Singhvi had forcefully opposed the CBI’s plea for extension of Karti’s custody, saying the agency had confronted his client for just 25 minutes during the five-day remand. However, additional solicitor general Tushar Mehta said the agency needed more time to interrogate Karti because witnesses were being “approached” and “evidence was being destroyed”.

The court extended Karti’s remand by three days and said the police needed to complete the investigation.

The SC entertained Karti’s petition questioning the ED’s parallel “roving investigation” into a case already under CBI probe, but refused to grant him interim protection from fresh summons and possible arrest under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).

Responding to the arguments of Karti’s lawyer Kapil Sibal, the court said, “We may clarify with immediacy that we have noted Sibal’s submissions only so that it is debated. If we hold in the affirmative with regard to maintainability of the writ petition, then only we shall advert to the propositions which will relate to constitutional rights.”