SC asks ED to provide date on which it wants to interrogate Karti Chidambaram

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

"We will ensure both. We will ensure that he appears before you (ED) and he goes for his tennis assignment," the bench said adding, "No tennis for him if he evades".

The ED will have to apprise the court by January 30 about the date on which it wants Karti to appear before it for interrogation.

Karti is facing criminal cases being investigated by the ED one of which relates to Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) clearance to INX Media for receiving foreign funds of Rs 305 crore when his father was the finance minister.