CBI court seeks Chidambaram’s production in ED’s plea for custody

CBI court seeks Chidambaram’s production in ED’s plea for custody

NITISH SHUKLA 

BACKGROUND

The INX Media case is an on-going high-profile money-laundering investigation in India. It involves an allegation of irregularities in foreign exchange clearances given to INX Media group for receiving overseas investment in 2007. And P. Chidambaram was the finance minister of that time. The INX Media Group which is now called 9X group, founded by Indrani Mukerjea along with husband Peter Mukerjea, allegedly violated foreign investment laws. INX Media had permission to source foreign investments to the limit of ₹4.62 crores but it has allegedly received funds worth ₹305 crores.

CURRENT ISSUE (CBI court seeks Chidambaram’s production in ED’s plea for custody)

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Friday moved a Delhi court seeking custodial interrogation of senior Congress leader and former finance minister P Chidambaram in the INX Media money laundering case. Chidambaram is currently in Tihar Jail for corruption charges levied charged against him and case lodged by CBI. Production warrant is issued against him by the ED and he will be produced before the Special Judge Ajay Kumar Kuhar.

The plea which was argued by Solicitor General Tushar Mehta and special public prosecutor Amit Mahajan, The special court has taken into account that plea and issued a warrant directing the Tihar Jail Authority to produce Chidambaram before it so that the probe agency can take him in custody and quiz him in their custody. The probe agency told the court that his custody is required for seeking information about shell companies abroad as also 17 bank accounts. The court had earlier dismissed the Congress leader's plea seeking to surrender in the money laundering case after the ED said it would arrest him when it needs his custody. Solicitor General had argued then that certain aspects were required to be probed before his custodial interrogation. The Supreme Court had dismissed his plea against the August 20 order of the Delhi High Court which denied him pre-arrest bail in the ED case. It had dismissed his anticipatory bail plea in the cases lodged by both the ED as well as the CBI.

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CONCLUSION

CBI court seeks Chidambaram’s production in ED’s plea for custody for his involvement in INX media corruption case so that a proper enquiry and investigation can be held and the case be further processed.

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