INX Media case: Court extends interim protection to Chidambaram till October 25

New Delhi, Sep 28: Delhi High Court on Friday further extended interim protection to senior congress leader Chidambaram till October 25.

The CBI had registered an FIR on May 15 last year against alleged irregularities in the FIPB clearance to INX Media for receiving overseas funds to the tune of Rs 305 crore in 2007 when Chidambaram was the Union finance minister. It is alleged that Karti had received funds to the tune of Rs 10 lakh in the case, they said.

The CBI alleged Karti also received money from INX media to scuttle a tax probe. The firm was owned at the time by Peter and Indrani Mukerjea, who are currently in jail on charges of murdering Indrani's daughter Sheena Bora.The Enforcement Directorate has also registered a money laundering case.

The CBI and the ED had carried out a series of raids on the houses and offices owned by the Chidambarams. Karti Chidambaram was questioned several times by the ED.

A lookout notice, which prevents a passenger from travelling abroad, was issued against him as the agencies suspected that he would try to close foreign accounts where he had parked the money from the kickbacks. Earlier, the Supreme Court on Monday granted relief to Karti Chidambaram in INX Media Case. The apex court has allowed him to travel abroad from July 23 to July 31 to United States, UK and France.

A single judge bench of the high court had on March 23 granted bail to Karti, who was arrested on February 28 by the CBI, saying the relief should not be refused unless the crime was of the "highest magnitude" entailing "severe punishment".

The high court had also observed that while there was "incriminating evidence" of a "nexus" between his then company Chess Management Services (P) Ltd (CMS) and Advantage Strategic Consulting (P) Ltd (ASC), which had received a payment of Rs 10 lakh for allegedly facilitating the FIPB clearance to INX Media, it was not sufficient to deny bail to Karti as the payment was duly accounted for in the company records and was received by a cheque.