Black money case: Madras HC quashes criminal prosecution against Chidambaram's family

Chennai, Nov 2: The Madras High Court on Friday quashed sanction orders issued by Income Tax officials for prosecution of former Union Minister P Chidambaram's wife, son and daughter in law under the black money act.

A Division Bench of Justices S. Manikumar & Subramonium Prasad also consequently quashed the private complaints lodged by I-T officials against the family before a Metropolitan Magistrate court in Chennai. The judges held that sanction had not been given in accordance with law.

The family had initially approached the High Court to restrain I-T officials from launching prosecution against them under the Act with respect to a property purchased by them jointly at a cost of £5.35 lakh at Cambridge in the United Kingdom. However, Justice T.S. Sivagnanam dismissed their plea in April last. It was after this I-T officials went ahead and launched the prosecution.