INX Media case: ED can't arrest Karti till March 20

The Delhi High Court on Saturday restrained the Enforcement Directorate (ED) from arresting Karti Chidambaram, the son of senior Congress leader P Chidambaram, till March 20 in connection with the INX media money laundering case.

His lawyer Arun Natarajan told ANI, "We anticipate ED will go to the Supreme Court, challenging the order. We filed a caveat before the SC that in case ED is going to file an appeal, they'll have to intimate us."

"The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) had requested for subjecting Karti Chidambaram for a polygraph test. There cannot be a compulsion with regard to this test. We have given a written rejection, saying that we are not accepting the polygraph test," he added.

Yesterday, the Delhi Court extended the CBI custody of Chidambaram, till March 12.

Karti has been in the custody of the CBI since his arrest on February 28, which was supposed to end on Friday.

The CBI, however, had sought his remand for six more days.

The CBI has also recovered fresh documents relating to case after conducting searches on March 7 and 8 and submitted the seized documents to the court.

Karti was arrested on his return from the UK at the Chennai airport on February 28 and later sent to the probe agency's custody.

Karti is accused of receiving kickbacks a decade back to clear foreign investment into INX Media group, using the influence of his father P. Chidambaram, who was then the Union finance minister.

-ANI