New Delhi: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Thursday moved the Delhi high court against the anticipatory bail granted to P. Chidambaram and his son Karti in the Aircel Maxis case.
Special Judge O.P. Saini had granted anticipatory bail to P. Chidambaram and his son on 5 September in the case on furnishing ₹1 lakh each. They were also directed to not contact, threaten, or influence any witness, or tamper with evidence in any manner or leave the country without prior permission of the court.
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and ED had alleged before district judge O.P. Saini's court that the Congress leader, as finance minister during the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) regime, granted approval to the deal beyond his capacity, which benefitted certain persons, and received kickbacks. “They need to be dealt with an iron hand," the probe agencies had said.
Opposing Chidambaram and his son Karti’s protection from arrest, the agencies had claimed the two may hamper the probe and sought their custodial interrogation in the case.
The former union finance minister and his son had been given interim protection from arrest by the CBI as well as the ED due to repeated adjournments in the case. The CBI and the ED are probing how Karti Chidambaram received clearance from the Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) for the Aircel-Maxis deal in 2006 when his father was Union finance minister. The CBI, had in October 2018, filed a chargesheet naming him and a few others in the case. Last year, the CBI filed another chargesheet against 18 persons.