Karti Chidambaram gets further relief from arrest by ED, Supreme Court to hear case on March 26
The top court transferred the case from the Delhi High Court to itself.
The Supreme Court on Thursday transferred to itself a petition filed by former Finance Minister P Chidambaram’s son Karti Chidambaram, challenging the Enforcement Directorate’s power to arrest him under the money laundering law, ANI reported. The Delhi High Court was hearing the matter till now.
The Supreme Court will hear the matter on March 26. This extends the interim relief the Delhi High Court had given Chidambaram on March 9 from being arrested by the Enforcement Directorate. Earlier on Thursday, the Delhi High Court had extended the interim relief to Chidambaram until next hearing on March 22.
On Thursday, the Supreme Court was hearing the ED’s plea against the interim High Court order. The top court transferred the matter to itself as it said several high courts had used different interpretations of the law on the ED’s power to arrest an accused. A bench led by Chief Justice Dipak Misra said it would also answer the question of the interpretation of this provision of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act.
Reprieve for #KartiChidambaram: SC protects him from arrest by ED till March 26.
— News18 Courtroom (@News18Courtroom) March 15, 2018
SC orders transfer of Delhi HC case to itself to examine examine validity of a Prevention of Money Laundering Law Act (PMLA) provision. Apex court will hear case next on March 26.@utkarsh_aanand
The Delhi High Court had given the interim relief after Karti Chidambaram sought protection from being arrested by the Enforcement Directorate, claiming that the agency could not issue him notices based on a case filed by the Central Bureau of Investigation in a related corruption case. He was arrested from the Chennai airport on February 28 and is currently lodged in Delhi’s Tihar Jail.
In May 2017, the Enforcement Directorate had filed a money laundering case against Karti Chidambaram, INX Media and its directors Indrani Mukerjea and Peter Mukerjea. Chidambaram’s company allegedly received Rs 10 lakh from INX Media – which had received clearance from the Foreign Exchange Promotion Board for Rs 4 crore in foreign funding, when in fact it had got Rs 305 crore in 2007. P Chidambaram was the finance minister in the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance government at that time.
The money was paid to Karti Chidambaram in return for help to get away without facing any punitive action, the Enforcement Directorate had told the court. Karti Chidambaram has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing in the INX Media case.