The Apex court of India on Thursday extended the protection for Karthi Chidambaram from the arrest in the INX Media case till March 26.
According to ANI, the Supreme Court has also ordered the transfer of Delhi High Court case to itself for examining the validity of a Prevention of Money Laundering Law Act (PMLA) provision. The Supreme Court will hear the matter on March 26. The Enforcement Directorate previously had challenged in the Supreme Court in the Delhi HC on March 9 in which the order has granted the interim protection to Karti that had extended his interim protection. The protection was extended till March.
However, on Thursday, the Delhi High Court had further extended the protection of Karti Chidambaram from March 20 to March 22.
The date was extended after the ED counsel Vinod Diwakar said to the court that he got the instructions from the Additional Solicitor General (ASG) Tushar Mehta that the ASG has no objection if there is a change in the date of hearing and it is on 22nd of March.
Responding to this, the bench said, “Since no objection has been expressed by the ED for changing the dates, the petition is fixed for hearing on 22 or March.”
Karti is currently in Tihar jail in the INX Media Corruption case related to the irregularities in the FIPB clearance which was given to the firm.
Karti Chidambaram, son of former Union Minister P Chidambaram was arrested on February 28 in Chennai Airport upon his return from the United Kingdom. He was arrested upon connection with an FIR that was registered on May 15 last year.
The FIR on Karti Chidambaram has alleged the irregularities in the FIPB (Foreign Investment Promotion Board) clearance to the INX Media on receiving funds via overseas to the tune of Rs 305 crores in the year 2007 during the tenure of his father as a Union Minister.
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