New Delhi: Having secured prosecution sanction orders against P Chidambaram, the then Union finance minister, in connection with the alleged offence of money laundering in the Aircel-Maxis deal and INX Media cases, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) will now push to expedite legal proceedings hanging fire in lower and higher courts related to the two matters, people in the know told ET.
In the Aircel-Maxis matter, the federal agency will push for the conclusion of hearings on its plea pending before the Delhi High Court challenging the anticipatory bail granted to Chidambaram and his son Karti Chidambaram by a lower court in September 2019. ED’s plea is scheduled to come up for hearing in April. The agency is also likely to seek early disposal of its appeal pending before the Supreme Court challenging High Court’s order vide which the HC directed the trial court to defer hearings on arguments related to the framing of charges.
In April last year, the Delhi HC directed the special PMLA court conducting ED proceedings against Congress Lok Sabha MP Karti Chidambaram in the Aircel-Maxis case to defer arguments on charges. The HC’s April 9 direction came after a plea by Karti challenging a trial court order in March that had refused to defer hearings on framing of charges against him in the ED prosecution. It may be noted that Chidambaram (accused number six in the case) has also filed a plea challenging the cognisance taken and seeking quashing of ED’s ECIR (equivalent to an FIR) for lack of sanction. However, ED last month obtained the sanction from the competent authority and placed it before the concerned court. Chidambaram’s plea is scheduled for hearing in May.In the INX Media matter, the SC delivered a ruling on November 6, 2024, in the case ‘Directorate of Enforcement vs Bibhu Prasad Acharya, etc.’, holding that the requirement of prosecution sanction under Section 197(1) of the CrPC is also applicable to a complaint filed under Section 44(1)(b) of the PMLA, 2002. In light of the said SC order, sanction for prosecution of Chidambaram was sought from the competent authority in this case. ED will now seek to fast-track proceedings in the INX Media matter as well, which is slated for hearing in May, the people cited above told ET.
Both Chidambaram and Karti have denied any wrongdoing.
