Today, On 3rd April, The Delhi High Court has scheduled the hearing for senior Congress leader P. Chidambaram’s plea in the INX Media money laundering case for May 13. The plea challenges the trial court’s decision to accept the Enforcement Directorate’s chargesheet in the case. Initially set for August, the hearing was expedited due to the urgency of the matter. Both parties have agreed not to press for arguments on charges before the trial court until the High Court hearing.
New Delhi: The Delhi High Court agreed to expedite the hearing date for a plea filed by senior Congress leader and former Union Minister P. Chidambaram.
This plea challenges the trial court’s decision to acknowledge the Enforcement Directorate’s chargesheet in the INX Media money laundering case. Originally set for August, the hearing will now occur on May 13 of this year.
Senior Advocate N. Hariharan, representing Chidambaram, requested the court to advance the hearing, noting that the trial court is scheduled to begin arguments on charges on April 7.
Also Read: [INX Media Case] Delhi Court Allows Congress MP Karti Chidambaram To Travel Austria & UK
He urged the High Court to instruct the trial court to pause proceedings until the plea is resolved, arguing that continuing with the arguments and framing charges would make the petition irrelevant.
Justice Ravinder Dudeja, while moving the hearing date forward, instructed both parties not to press for arguments on charges before the trial court.
The court remarked,
“Considering the urgency, the matter is advanced to May 13. Meanwhile, both parties have jointly agreed not to press for arguments on charges before the trial court.”
In December, the Delhi High Court issued a notice to the Enforcement Directorate regarding Chidambaram’s plea.
During earlier discussions, ED Counsel Zoheb Hossain asserted that the allegations against Chidambaram do not pertain to his official duties, arguing that advocating for his son’s business interests does not fall within his official responsibilities.
Chidambaram contended that the trial court’s order to acknowledge the money laundering offense was issued without the Enforcement Directorate obtaining the mandatory sanction under Section 197(1) of the CrPC for prosecuting him, despite his status as a public servant at the time of the alleged offense. He stressed that such a sanction is a required condition under Section 197(1) CrPC, in conjunction with Section 65 of the PMLA.
Previously, the Delhi High Court had suspended trial court proceedings in the Aircel Maxis case against Chidambaram on similar grounds.
Additionally, the Delhi High Court has directed the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to respond to Chidambaram’s petition requesting a postponement of arguments on the charges in the INX Media case.
Chidambaram argues that if the CBI’s claim of a “complete” investigation is accepted (without admitting or prejudicing the matter), the accused should be allowed to review previously withheld documents not relied upon. However, the CBI has opposed this request.
Chidambaram has approached the Delhi High Court to challenge the trial court’s October 26, 2024, order, which dismissed his plea for clarification from the CBI regarding the inspection of unrelied-upon documents, as per a March 5, 2021, order in the INX Media case.
His plea highlights that, according to the CBI’s status report dated January 12, 2024, further investigation into “other aspects” is complete. The CBI has stated that it cannot confirm whether information obtained through execution reports related to Letters Rogatory (LRs) from the UK, Switzerland, and Singapore can be classified as relied-upon or un-relied-upon documents in the chargesheet.
This determination, the CBI maintains, can only be made after correlating these reports with those LRs that are still pending receipt.
Also Read: “Let Response Be Filed”: Delhi High Court Seeks CBI’s Stand on INX Media Petitions
In 2022, the Delhi High Court dismissed the CBI’s petition challenging the trial court’s order allowing accused individuals, including Chidambaram, and their counsels to inspect documents held in the Malkhana room in the INX Media corruption case.
The CBI had registered the case on May 15, 2017, alleging irregularities in the Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) clearance granted to INX Media Group for receiving Rs 305 crore in overseas funds in 2007, during Chidambaram’s tenure as Union Finance Minister.
Subsequently, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) filed a money laundering case based on the CBI’s FIR, alleging irregularities in the FIPB clearance for INX Media.
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