The Supreme Court on Thursday rejected Karti Chidambaram’s request for an urgent hearing of his petition seeking permission to travel abroad, reported PTI.
“Karti Chidambaram going abroad is not so important that it will get precedent over other [cases],” a bench of Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi, Justices UU Lalit and KM Joseph said. Gogoi rejected most pleas seeking urgent hearings on Friday, saying “judges have more work than they can handle”.
Karti Chidambaram, the son of senior Congress leader and former Union minister P Chidambaram, is accused of money laundering in the INX Media case and the Aircel-Maxis case.
Meanwhile, the Patiala House Court in Delhi on Thursday extended till November 26 the interim protection from arrest granted to P Chidambaram and Karti Chidambaram in the Aircel-Maxis case, which is being investigated by the Central Bureau of Investigation and the Enforcement Directorate, ANI reported.
The court was hearing the anticipatory bail pleas of P Chidambaram and Karti Chidambaram, which have been opposed by both the agencies. The CBI has sought the custodial interrogation of both the accused, ANI reported.
The Enforcement Directorate, in its reply to the bail plea, told the court on Wednesday that the Congress leader was not cooperating with the inquiry and sought his custodial interrogation.
On October 8, the court had extended till November 1 the interim protection from arrest granted to Chidambaram and his son. The former minister had filed the plea for protection from arrest on May 30 and has has been granted relief by the court on several occasions.
The Central Bureau of Investigation filed a chargesheet against 18 people, including P Chidambaram and his son, in July. The chargesheet named retired as well as serving government officials. The accused have been charged with criminal conspiracy, seeking illegal gratification, and criminal misconduct under various sections.
On October 25, the Enforcement Directorate filed a chargesheet in connection with the case, naming P Chidambaram as the prime accused.
The case pertains to clearances that the Foreign Investment Promotion Board granted the firm M/S Global Communication Holding Services Ltd for investment in Aircel in 2006. Chidambaram was the finance minister at the time and Karti Chidambaram allegedly facilitated the payment of bribes in the Aircel-Maxis transaction. The Enforcement Directorate is looking into why Chidambaram approved the investment when only the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs can give the green signal for such deals.
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