The Enforcement Directorate (ED) is seeking an expedited trial against Congress leader P Chidambaram in the Aircel-Maxis and INX Media money laundering cases, having submitted the required prosecution sanction to the court.
A Delhi court on Saturday took cognisance of the chargesheets filed by the Central Bureau of Investigation and the Enforcement Directorate against former Union minister P Chidambaram and his son Karti in the Aircel-Maxis case and summoned them on December 20.
It is understood that the agency wanted to put a fresh set of questions to him regarding the deal and hence had asked him to appear.
The CBI and the ED said that new material has been recovered which needs to be collated.
The ED said that Chidambaram has remained evasive and therefore grant of pre-arrest bail at this stage would be highly detrimental to the investigation.
Is P Chidambaram in serious trouble? What is the alleged Aircel-Maxis scam? Does Chidambaram and his son have an alleged role in it? With the help of investigative reporter J Gopikrishnan, we shed some light on the controversial issue.
P Chidambaram's son Karti was arrested on February 28 at the Chennai airport on his return from the United Kingdom, for his alleged role in facilitating Foreign Investment Promotion Board clearance for INX Media Ltd. and its directors, Peter and Indrani Mukerjea.
Special Judge O P Saini took strong objection to the agencies seeking repeated adjournments.
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The agency had "almost finished" its probe into the matter, which involved Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam leader and former telecom minister Dayanidhi Maran, an official said.
Chidambaram's son Karti has been questioned twice by the ED in this case.
The agency recorded his statement under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act with some specific queries on the circumstances and procedures adopted by the now-defunct Foreign Investment Promotion Board while giving approval to the Aircel-Maxis deal during his tenure.
The court, which pronounced the judgment in a packed courtroom, also said that Karti shall not leave the country without its permission.
The Bharatiya Janata Party on Tuesday expressed dissatisfaction over the government's response to the Aircel-Maxis controversy, allegedly involving Home Minister P Chidambaram's family members, and said it would demand a discussion on the issue in both Houses.At the weekly BJP Parliamentary Party meeting, Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Arun Jaitley briefed the members about the Aircel-Maxis issue.
The Aircel-Maxis row on Monday led to fresh uproar in Rajya Sabha with the Opposition targeting with fresh allegations the son of Home Minister P Chidambaram, who denied any wrongdoing and said the company in question -- Advantage Consulting -- could be probed by the finance ministry.
Karti granted interim protection from arrest till July 10 .
As soon as the House met, AIADMK MPs trooped into the Well shouting slogans and demanded action from the government.
The sources said the matter should have been referred to the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs as foreign investments above Rs 600 crore (Rs 6 billion) can only be cleared by Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs headed by the Prime Minister.
The Aircel-Maxis case is among 140 pending letters rogatory.
After registering the case, the agency carried out searches at the premises of Maran brothers in Delhi and Chennai.
Special Judge O P Saini issued notice to the agency and sought its response by October 8.
A cartoon depicting B R Ambedkar purportedly published in a NCERT textbook and row over Home Minister P Chidambaram's statement in the Aircel-Maxis deal today led to disruption of the Lok Sabha.
The CBI has asked Karti to appear before it on October 4.
If convicted, the offences entail a maximum punishment of seven years.
The bench in its order noted that the CBI report also dealt with its probe into the alleged violation by FIPB in the Aircel-Maxis deal.
Karti, through his lawyer, has refused to appear before the agency saying a special court had discharged all the accused in the matter.
"As FM, I granted approval in the normal course of business," he said in a statement.
Former Telecom Minister Dayanidhi Maran, his brother Kalanithi Maran and four others were on Friday chargesheeted by the Enforcement Directorate in the Special 2G court.
The ED had filed the first chargesheet in the case against Chidambaram's son Karti; later, a supplementary chargesheet was also filed against him.
Former Telecom Minister Dayanidhi Maran has been questioned by the Central Bureau of Investigation in connection with the allegations that he had received Rs 547 crore as kickbacks from a Malaysian company in the controversial Aircel-Maxis deal.
Acting on a Central Bureau of Investigation's plea, a special CBI court has issued judicial requests to four countries seeking details of the money trail in the Aircel-Maxis deal, in which former telecom minister Dayanidhi Maran is an accused. The Letters Rogatory to the United Kingdom, Bermuda, Malaysia and Mauritius were issued by a Patiala House court last week in the case. The CBI has alleged that Maran had received Rs 547 crore as kickbacks.
Earlier, SC had given two weeks to prove Chidambaram deliberately granted FIPB clearance in 2006
The apex court also modified its interim order granting protection to officer against inquiry.
The Central Bureau of Investigation told the Supreme Court that charge sheet in the controversial Aircel-Maxis deal involving former telecom minister Dayanidhi Maran will be filed shortly as the Attorney General disagreed with the views of its Director Ranjit Sinha to drop the prosecution.
They were chargesheeted for alleged offences punishable under section 120-B (criminal conspiracy) of IPC and under relevant provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act.
Janata Party President Subramanian Swamy has sought permission from the Central Bureau of Investigation Special Court dealing with 2G scandal cases to file a petition seeking to include Union Home Minister P Chidambaram as a co-accused in the Aircel-Maxis case.
Chidambaram was competent to give approval of upto Rs 600 crore but he gave the approval which was worth approximately Rs 3,500 crore
The Delhi high court on Wednesday stayed the trial court proceedings against senior Congress leader P Chidambaram in the Aircel-Maxis case lodged by the Enforcement Directorate.
Assets include Kalanithi Maran's shares worth Rs 139 cr in Sun Direct.
The Supreme Court on Thursday asked the CBI to go ahead with its probe in the Aircel-Maxis deal without waiting for necessary sanction against an official "holding high position" in connection with irregularities in the case arising out of 2G scam.
The CBI had registered a case against former telecom minister Dayanidhi Maran, his brother MP Kalanithi Maran, Malaysian business tycoon and Maxis owner T Ananda Krishnan, and Maxis Director Ralph Marshall in October 2011.
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