Court extends interim protection from arrest to Chidambaram

New Delhi: A Delhi court today extended till July 10, the interim protection from arrest granted to former Union Minister P Chidambaram in the Aircel Maxis money laundering case.

Special Judge O P Saini passed the order after the Enforcement Directorate (ED) sought more time to file a detailed reply to Chidambaram’s plea seeking anticipatory bail in the case. Senior advocate Sonia Mathur and advocate Nitesh Rana moved the plea on behalf of the ED, saying the agency needed four weeks time to file a detailed reply.

At this, senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi and advocate P K Dubey, appearing for Chidambaram, requested the court to fix the matter to July 10 when the court is already scheduled to hear the anticipatory bail plea of Chidambaram’s son Karti in the same case.

The senior Congress leader had on May 30 moved his plea for anticipatory bail in the Aircel Maxis money laundering case. In his plea, Chidambaram said all the evidence in the matter appears to be documentary in nature which is already in the possession of the incumbent government and nothing was to be recovered from him.

The court has already granted interim protection from arrest till July 10 to the former minister’s son Karti in two cases filed by the CBI and ED in 2011 and 2012, respectively in the Aircel-Maxis matter arising out of 2G spectrum cases.

The relief was granted to Karti after the ED sought time to argue on his application seeking anticipatory bail. The matter pertains to grant of Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) clearance to firm M/S Global Communication Holding Services Ltd for investment in Aircel.