New Delhi: The Patiala House Court on Tuesday adjourned the Aircel Maxis case till January 11 next year. The court also extended the interim protection of Karti Chidambaram and P Chidambaram till the same day in both Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and Enforcement Directorate (ED) cases.
In the earlier hearing on November 26, the CBI had informed the court that it had procured the requisite sanction from the authorities concerned to prosecute P Chidambaram.
The court had then extended, till December 18, the protection granted to Chidambaram and his son Karti from arrest after the CBI said it needed two weeks to get sanction against other accused in the case.
Patiala House Court’s Special Judge OP Saini took up the Aircel-Maxis case, which arose out of the 2G spectrum allocation scam case. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta appeared for the CBI and the ED.
In his reply in court, Chidambaram had said that no offence was committed in the grant of FIPB (Foreign Investment Promotion Board) approval. Chidambaram has released a statement in this regard.
The statement read, “No illegal gratification was received. There was no conspiracy. Approval was granted on basis of deliberation in the Foreign Investment Promotion Board and recommendations of the FIPB that was put up to the Finance Minister (P Chidambaram) in the Normal course of official business.”
The CBI and ED, in their replies to the anticipatory bail pleas of the Chidambarams, had alleged that they were not cooperating in the investigations. The rejoinder submissions by the father-son duo were filed before Special Judge O P Saini.
The Chidambarams, in their rejoinders filed through advocates PK Dubey and Arshdeep Singh, said the allegations made by both the CBI and the ED were “unsubstantiated” and there was no need of their custodial interrogation, as sought by the agencies.
