Supreme Court judge Indu Malhotra on Wednesday recused herself from hearing Bharatiya Janata Party leader Subramanian Swamy’s plea urging the court to make him a party to a disproportionate assets case against an Enforcement Directorate officer, PTI reported. The officer, Rajeshwar Singh, is investigating the Aircel-Maxis case.

On June 5, Justices AK Goel and Ashok Bhushan sought the assistance of Additional Solicitor General Maninder Singh in a petition filed by Rajneesh Kapur against Singh. The court had listed the matter for hearing on July 3. In his petition, Kapur said the Supreme Court had passed certain orders protecting the Enforcement Directorate officer.

On Wednesday, Swamy said the petition was an attempt to delay the ongoing investigation in the Aircel-Maxis case. The BJP leader claimed that in a previous order the top court had directed authorities to complete their investigation within six months.

“The claim of disproportionate assets have been raised against investigator in this petition,” Swamy told a vacation bench of Justices Abdul Nazeer and Indu Malhotra, according to Live Law. “The purpose is only to delay the matter for the benefit of powerful people…this has happened before also.”

The judges asked Swamy to mention his plea on June 25 before another bench. Malhotra recused herself from hearing the matter without assigning any reason.

The Aircel-Maxis case pertains to the grant of clearances by the Foreign Investment Promotion Board to Global Communication Holding Services Ltd for investments in Aircel in 2006. P Chidambaram was the finance minister at the time, and his son Karti Chidambaram is accused of facilitating bribes in exchange for the clearances. A court has granted P Chidambaram protection from arrest in the case until July 10.