Karti Chidambaram grilled by ED, says 'Came to say hello for Dussehra'

Karti Chidambaram, son of senior Congress leader P Chidambaram, on Wednesday was grilled by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in connection with the INX Media money laundering case, as his father serves jail time in Tihar in the money laundering case.

Speaking to media outside the agency's office, Karti Chidambaram said, "I just thought to come and say hello to them for Dussehra".

The case pertains to an FIR registered by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) for alleged irregularities in the Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) clearance given to INX Media to the tune of Rs 305 crore in 2007 by P Chidambaram when he was the Union Finance Minister. P Chidambaram allegedly wanted certain transactions to be made in favour of Karti by the INX Media. ED is investigating the alleged offence of money laundering that arose out of the FIR.

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Chidambaram in INX Media case

The Supreme Court on Friday issued a notice to CBI, asking it to respond to former Finance Minister P Chidambaram's plea seeking bail in the INX Media corruption case. A bench of justices R Banumathi and Hrishikesh Roy asked Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the CBI, to file its response and posted the matter for hearing on October 15. Chidambaram, who is lodged in Tihar Jail under judicial custody, has moved the top court. He has challenged the September 30 verdict of the Delhi High Court which had dismissed his plea seeking bail in the case. 

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Chidambaram, 74, is in custody since his arrest by the CBI on August 21. The CBI had registered an FIR on May 15, 2017, alleging irregularities in the FIPB clearance granted to the INX Media group for receiving overseas funds of Rs. 305 crore in 2007 during Chidambaram's tenure as the Finance Minister. Thereafter, the ED lodged a money laundering case in this regard in 2017. At the outset, senior advocate Kapil Sibal, appearing for Chidambaram referred to the high court's September 30 verdict and said that the high court had applied three tests — flight risk, tampering of evidence and influencing the witness — while deciding the bail petition.

Sibal said that on two counts, flight risk and tampering of evidence, the high court has ruled in favour of Chidambaram, while on the third count of influencing witnesses, the verdict has gone against the senior Congress leader. "This is concerning the CBI case. What has happened to the ED's case," the bench asked Sibal and senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi who was also representing Chidambaram. Responding to the query, Sibal said that ED has not yet arrested Chidambaram in the money laundering case.

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(With agency inputs)