INX media case: Delhi HC notice to Chidambaram, son on ED plea against trial court order

New Delhi, March 25:  The Delhi High Court on Friday issued notice to former Union Minister P Chidambaram, his son Karti Chidambaram and others on a petition filed by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) against an earlier trial court order which permitted them to access copies of unrelied documents related to the INX money laundering case.

Issuing notice in the matter, a bench of Justice Yogesh Khanna slated the matter for further hearing on April 20.

Earlier on January 25, 2020, a Special Judge of Rouse Avenue Courts passed an order allowing Chidambarams to check the copies of all the unrelied documents from 'Malkhana' -- the room to store case-related materials in court.

The Delhi High Court had, on November 10,2021, rejected a similar petition filed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) challenging the trial court order.

The CBI has approached the High court opposing the inspection of documents by the accused persons on the grounds that allowing them inside the 'Malkhana' may lead to the tampering of evidence in the ongoing high-profile money laundering case.

As per the probe agency, while the accused had a right to a fair trial, the collective interest of society cannot impinge.

On March 14, the Delhi High Court's Justice Chandra Dhari Singh had recused himself from hearing the ED's plea challenging an order that allowed accused persons in INX Media Pvt Ltd, including Chidambarams, to inspect the documents seized during the investigation.

In another case related to Chidambarams, on March 23, a Delhi Court had granted them regular bail in a case alleging irregularities in the grant of Foreign Investment Promotion Board approval in the Aircel-Maxis deal, filed against them by the CBI and the ED.