HC breather for Karti in laundering case

Syed Ali Ahmed

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, March 9

Karti Chidambaram, son of former Union minister P Chidambaram, got a breather in a money laundering case today, with the Delhi High Court restraining the Enforcement Directorate (ED) from arresting him till March 20. The development came even as the Special CBI court today again extended Karti's custody to CBI for three days for questioning him in the INX Media corruption case, saying "new incriminating materials" have been found against him.

An HC Bench heard the matter for close to three hours and made it clear that if the special court grants Karti bail in the corruption case, the ED will not arrest him till the next hearing by the HC. Meanwhile, the CBI produced Karti before the special court and sought his custody for six more days to interrogate him. The court granted only three-day custody. The court also accepted CBI plea to confront Karti with his CA, S Bhaskararaman and argument on his bail application on March 15. 

Karti, who has been in CBI custody since February 28, was produced before special judge Sunil Rana on the expiry of his three-day custody.

The CBI has already taken nine-day police custody of Karti out of 15 days prescribed under law. While seeking extension of his custodial interrogation for six more days, Additional Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, said a CD had been recovered in connection with the case which needed to be sent to Central Forensic Science Laboratory (CFSL) for examination.

The ASG said new incriminating materials had been found and he had to be confronted with them.

However, senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi, who is the party colleague of P Chidambaram, opposed any further custodial interrogation of Karti.

"It's tragic for me (Karti). They have no new reason for my remand. They are inventing one. CBI has to justify remand every day and every minute," Singhvi said on behalf of Karti.

It is a ten-year-old case and all the documents are available with them and "they need my custody to harass me", Karti said through his counsel.