SC asks ED to provide date for questioning Karti Chidambaram in Aircel, INX cases

The Supreme Court Monday asked the Enforcement Directorate to specify by January 30 the date on which it wants to interrogate Karti Chidambaram, son of senior Congress leader P Chidambaram, in INX Media and Aircel Maxis cases.

A bench comprising Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi and Justice Sanjiv Khanna asked Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the ED, to seek instructions and give the date on which the probe agency wanted to quiz Karti.

The bench was hearing Karti's plea seeking permission to travel to France, Spain, Germany and the United Kingdom for the next few months for international tennis tournaments organised by a company called 'Totus Tennis Ltd' having its registered office in the UK.

The plea, which also said that Karti is associated with tennis as a "former player, current administrator and entrepreneur", is being opposed by the ED.

"We will ensure both. We will ensure that he appears before you (ED) and he goes for his tennis assignment," the bench said.

It however added: "No tennis for him if he evades".

The apex court had earlier refused urgent hearing on the plea of Karti saying, "Who is Karti? Karti Chidambaram, you are saying? Let him stay where he is. We have more important matters to decide".

On September 18 last year it had allowed Karti to travel to the UK from September 20-30.

Karti is facing criminal cases which are being investigated by the ED and the CBI.

One of the cases relates to the FIPB clearance to INX Media for receiving foreign funds of Rs 305 crore when his father was the finance minister.

The ED had said that Karti, who is also facing proceedings in cases like Aircel-Maxis and money laundering matters, has been "blatantly misusing" the liberty granted by court in allowing him to travel abroad and has been using the same to protract the investigation in the case.