New DelhiL: The interim protection granted by the Delhi High Court in the INX Media money laundering case for Karti Chidambaram against his arrest was extended by the Supreme Court till April 27.

On March 26, the apex court had extended the interim relief against arrest to Karti Chidambaram till April 2.

A bench comprising Chief Justice Dipak Misra and Justices AM Khanwilkar and DY Chandrachud is currently hearing the plea filed by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) seeking an authoritative pronouncement from the top court in view of conflicting orders of all the different high courts on the probe agency’s power of arrest under section 19 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).

The bench, meanwhile, adjourned the hearing on the plea of ED till April 27 and said that the protection against arrest to Karti Chidambaram will remain extended till that day.

Additional Solicitor General Tushar Mehta who was representing the ED, had said that the probe agency has been given the power of arrest under the statute, keeping in mind the several international conventions underlining the need to curb money laundering generated from drugs smuggling, terror financing and black money routing.

Tushar Mehta had referred to the 1988 United Nations convention and had said the member countries understood the need to have a law to deal with the offence money laundering.

With the boom of e-commerce has made investigation into money laundering more difficult as ill-gotten wealth has been transferred to all corners of the world very conveniently after the globalisation, he had said.

At first, the supreme court, on March 15, had given the interim relief to Karti Chidambaram and had said it would clarify over the “confusion” which has crept in due to the divergent views of different high courts on ED’s power to arrest.

The top court had also transferred the matters to itself which were pending in the Delhi High Court which were about the power of ED to arrest in money laundering cases and also a plea filed by Karti Chidambaram seeking protection from arrest in ED’s case.

The top court had said it would answer the question about how to interpret the section 19 of the PMLA relating to ED’s power to arrest and also deal with the issue whether how the high courts can grant protection from arrest on a plea under Article 226 of the Constitution which deals with high court’s power to issue writs and orders.

In a recent plea filed before the high court, Karti Chidambaram, the son of former finance minister P Chidambaram, had sought striking down of ED’s power of arrest under section 19 of the PMLA, besides seeking quashing of the enforcement case information report (ECIR) and the probe being carried out by the agency.

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