Special court grants CBI, ED time till Dec 2 to complete probe in Aircel Maxis case

A special court in Delhi on Tuesday granted the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the Enforcement Directorate (ED) time till December 2 to complete the probe in the Aircel Maxis case involving former union minister P Chidambaram and his son Karti Chidambaram and others.

Special Judge Ajay Kumar Kuhar of Rouse Avenue Court adjourned the matter for December 2 after the agencies sought time due to the pendency of Letters Rogatory (LRs) in several countries. Arguments on cognisance of chargesheet are pending before the court.

Additional Solicitor General Sanjay Jain, who virtually appeared for the agencies, submitted that since the investigation is still pending qua LRs issued to the different countries including the UK and Singapur, therefore, the matter may be adjourned for arguments on the point of cognisance.

Jain had earlier informed the court that the CBI has sent LRs to different countries and there are some developments in that regard. The agency had earlier submitted that it is working on a new lead. Both ED and CBI have filed the status report too in the court.

Earlier, the court had directed the agencies to file a status report in the Aircel Maxis case involving P Chidambaram and his son Karti which was adjourned sine die. The court, while asking for reports from the agencies, said that the allegations mentioned in the chargesheet appeared to be "quite serious in nature."

P Chidambaram and his son are currently out on bail in the present matter. Predecessor Judge OP Saini, while passing the judgment, had observed that the entire evidence related to the commission of the crime by the two accused was documentary in nature and is not liable to be tampered with by both accused.

The case, which is being probed by the CBI and ED, relates to the alleged irregularities in the grant of Foreign Investment Promotion Board approval in the Aircel-Maxis deal in 2006 when Chidambaram was the union finance minister.

-ANI

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