An Enforcement Directorate officer who is investigating the Aircel-Maxis case involving former Finance Minister P Chidambaram and his son Karti Chidambaram has moved the Supreme Court claiming “vested interests” are trying to derail the inquiry.

Joint Director Rajeshwar Singh filed a criminal contempt plea in the top court on Thursday against Rajneesh Kapur, who had moved the court claiming that the officer held disproportionate assets, PTI reported.

Singh, nominated by the top court, claimed that the inquiry has “irked a sizeable number of individuals, corporate, lobbyists and corrupt and dishonest persons who have time and again filed false, frivolous and motivated complaints against me”.

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He said the public interest litigation against him is a recycled plea filed seven years ago in which the apex court had issued contempt notices, The Times of India reported. In that case, the Supreme Court had issued notices to Sahara group chief Subrata Roy and associates Upendra Rai and Subodh Jain.

Singh said Kapur’s PIL is a “brazen attempt to delay completion of investigation of 2G spectrum and Aircel-Maxis case”. He said that the Central Bureau of Investigation and the Central Vigilance Commission had given him a clean chit in the disproportionate assets case several years ago.

The Enforcement Directorate had on June 14 told a Delhi court that it is investigating the transfer of funds from a firm run by Karti Chidambaram to two companies based abroad. The agency has filed a chargesheet accused Chidambaram of non-cooperation in the case.

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