Karti Chidmbaram
A Delhi court on Tuesday extended Karti Chidambaram's interim protection from arrest till July 10 in two cases filed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in the Aircel-Maxis deal.
Special Judge OP Saini granted the interim relief to the son of senior Congress leader P Chidambaram after the ED sought time to argue on Karti's application seeking bail.
"A related matter is pending before the Supreme Court and that will be taken up for hearing on July 2", said advocate Nitesh Rana, who is appearing for the ED.
The submission was supported by the CBI counsel who requested the court to put up the matter for the next date.
The court on April 16 had granted interim relief to Karti till May 2 after both the CBI and the ED had sought time to file their responses on his anticipatory bail plea seeking protection from arrest in the Aircel-Maxis case, in which the CBI and the ED had lodged cases in 2011 and 2012.
The matter pertains to the grant of Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) clearance to M/S Global Communication Holding Services Ltd. for investment in Aircel. In September 2015, the CBI had filed its status report regarding an investigation into the FIPB approvals in the case.
The Aircel-Maxis deal is part of a wider 2G scam that engulfed the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) regime.
Besides this case, Karti is also facing the heat of the CBI and the ED for his alleged involvement in facilitating FIPB clearance for INX Media Ltd. and its directors Peter and Indrani Mukerjea. Reports say he allegedly took service charges for getting the FIPB clearance to INX Media for receiving funds from abroad worth Rs 305 crore in 2007 when his father was the finance minister.
