INX Media case: CBI gets custody of Karti Chidambaram for three more days, gets protection from ED arrest

NEW DELHI: A special court on Friday granted three more days time to CBI to keep in police remand Karti Chidamabaram, son of former Union Finance Minister and senior Congress leader P Chidambaram, in connection with the INX Media case. But in a  reprieve to Karti, the Delhi High Court on Friday granted him relief from any coercive action till March 20 by Enforcement Directorate that is probing the money laundering issue against him in the INX Media case.

During the three-day remand, the CBI will confront Karti with his Chartered Accountant S Bhaskaraman from whose computers’ hard disc the CBI had recovered details of payments to Karti’s firms abroad.
The designated court has fixed March 15 for hearing of the bail plea moved by Karti.Besides extending his remand period, the court also allowed the CBI’s plea to confront Karti with Bhaskararaman who was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate on February 16 and presently undergoing judicial custody till March 22.

During the hearing for extension of the remand, Additional Solicitor General Tushar Mehta said Karti’s custodial interrogation was necessary as “new incriminating materials” have been found against him.
Mehta said a CD has been recovered from the office of Advantage Strategic Consulting Pvt Ltd in Chennai in connection with the case which needed to be sent to Central Forensic Science Laboratory for examination. Also, Karti would have to be confronted with the new “incriminating materials” found, the ASG further argued.

The  CBI claims that Advantage Strategic is controlled by Karti.Senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi representing Karti in the special CBI court opposed any further custodial interrogation saying, “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.”

On the “new incriminating materials” recovered by the agency, a CBI spokesperson said, “About three four days ago,  we got information about location of certain documents’ at a certain place. We searched the place and recovered important documents, some of which were also submitted in the court. We last searched the office of Advantage Strategic Consulting office on May 16, 2017.”

On June 17 last year, the Board of ASCPL passed a resolution to change the office. The ASCPL informed the Registrar of Companies on June 19 last and shifted the company’s office on June 29, 2017. “Three days ago, the raids were carried out at the new office of ASCPL,” the spokesperson added.
The Delhi High Court, meanwhile, granted interim protection from arrest to Karti till March 20 in the INX Media case registered by the ED.

A bench of the Delhi High Court comprising Justices S Muralidhar and I S Mehta stated that in case the special court grants Karti bail in the CBI case which has registered a corruption case against him, the ED will not arrest him till the next hearing before it.The High Court also issued a notice and sought a response of the Centre and the ED on Karti’s plea challenging the issuance of summons and proceedings initiated against him in the money laundering case.

New evidences

During the hearing for extension of the remand, Additional Solicitor General Tushar Mehta said Karti’s custodial interrogation was necessary as “new incriminating materials” have been found against him.