The Delhi High Court on Friday granted interim protection from arrest to Karti Chidambaram, son of senior Congress leader P. Chidambaram, in the INX Media money laundering case registered by the Enforcement Directorate (ED).
A Bench of Justice S. Muralidhar and I.S. Mehta said the ED will not arrest Mr. Karti Chidambaram till the next hearing in the High Court, if the special court grants him bail in the corruption case registered by the CBI.
While granting the protection, the Bench said it was yet to decide the constitutional validity of Section 19 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act which deals with the ED’s power to arrest.
Mr. Chidambaram was present in the courtroom throughout the hearing.
Senior counsel Kapil Sibal and Abhishek Manu Singhvi, appearing for Mr. Karti Chidambaram, told the High Court that they were apprehensive that Mr. Karti Chidambaram would be picked up by the ED after release from the CBI custody.
Mr. Karti Chidambaram was arrested on February 28 at the Chennai airport on his return from the U.K., in connection with the FIR lodged on May 15 last year alleging irregularities in the Foreign Investment Promotion Board clearance to INX Media for receiving overseas funds to the tune of about ₹305 crore in 2007 when his father was the Union Finance Minister.
The CBI has alleged that Mr. Karti Chidambaram received ₹10 lakh as bribe for the FIPB clearance.
