INX Media: Karti Chidambaram asked to vacate Jor Bagh House attached by ED

New Delhi, Aug 01: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) directed former Union minister P Chidambaram's son Karti to vacate his Jor Bagh house here, which was earlier attached by the agency in the INX Media corruption case in which they are accused.

The eviction notice was served on Wednesday evening following an earlier order of the Adjudicating Authority, PMLA (Prevention of Money Laundering Act), by which the attachment of the property was confirmed. The immovable property situated at 115-A block 172, Jor Bagh, New Delhi-3 was attached by the ED on October 10 last year. The attachment was later confirmed by the authority on March 29.

A notice issued by the ED said that Karti P Chidambaram of the property is "directed to vacate said premise and hand over the possession of the property (50 per cent attached by the ED and confirmed by authority vide order dated March 29) to the undersigned (ED) within 10 days from the date of receipt of this notice".

According to sources, the property was jointly owned by Karti and his mother Nalini Chidambaram.

The property will be kept at the disposal of the ED until further orders and kept intact by all concerned for further proceedings under the act, agency's counsel Nitesh Rana, who got the attachment confirmed from the authority, had said.

The case relates to Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) approval granted in 2007 for receipt of funds by INX Media. The cases filed by the ED as well as the CBI are currently lending before the courts.

Karti Chidambaram, elected MP from Shivaganga, Tamil Nadu, is on bail in the case. The former Union minister's anticipatory bail plea is, however, pending before the Delhi High Court.

The CBI had registered an FIR in the case on May 15, 2017 alleging irregularities in the FIPB clearance granted to the media group for receiving overseas funds to the tune of Rs 305 crore in 2007 during P Chidambaram's tenure as finance minister.

Thereafter, the ED also lodged a money laundering case against the company's founders, the Mukerjeas, and others under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).