Reprieve for Karti Chidambaram: Delhi high court grants him interim relief from ED arrest

NEW DELHI: Karti Chidambaram got a measure of reprieve today after the Delhi high court (HC) granted him relief until March 20 in the event of of an arrest by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) ) in the INX Media money laundering case.

Karti, who was arrested last week by the CBI, is in its custody as per an order of a trial court. He fears that when CBI custody ends on March 9, the ED will swoop in to arrest him. As per today's Delhi HC order, if a trial court grants bail to Karti in the CBI case, the ED cannot arrest him until the next date of hearing, which is March 20.

Chidambaram, a son of senior Congress leader and former finance minister P. Chidambaram, had moved the Delhi HC yesterday pleading that the ED’s summons be quashed. He made the plea after the Supreme Court allowed him to withdraw his petition there challenging the issuance of summons by the ED in the Delhi high court instead.

Karti is being investigated for allegedly receiving money to facilitate Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) clearance for INX Media in 2007 when his father was the finance minister in the UPA government.

Senior counsel Kapil Sibal and Abhishek Manu Singhvi, appearing for Karti , decided to withdraw the plea from the apex court against the ED after Additional Solicitor General Tushar Mehta opposed the plea for interim protection from arrest as it would set a wrong precedent since 50 similar pleas involving "ordinary criminals" are pending before the court.

Both Sibal and Singhvi told the court that they were apprehending that Karti Chidambaram would be picked up by the ED after release from the CBI custody.

They said matter relates to the same transaction and the CBI has already fully investigated Karti.