Father, son gets relieve in Aircel-Maxis case, interim bail extended till Feb 1

A Delhi court today extended till February 1 the interim protection from arrest granted to former Union minister P Chidambaram and his son Karti in the Aircel-Maxis cases filed by the CBI and the ED. Special CBI Judge O P Saini put up the matter for February 1 after Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the CBI, told the court that the ongoing probe was about to be completed. Senior advocates Kapil Sibal and A M Singhvi, appearing for the father-son duo, sought an extension of protection granted to Chidambaram. CBI also informed the court that requisite sanctions to prosecute certain public servants, accused in the case, has been obtained. It had earlier said that similar nod was procured for P Chidambaram.

The court also adjourned the money laundering case, lodged on the basis of the CBI case, for the next date after ED's special public prosecutor Nitesh Rana made the request in this regard. Chidambaram and his son Karti were named in the charge sheet filed by the Central Bureau of Investigation in the case on July 19. The agency filed a supplementary charge sheet before the special judge, who had fixed it for consideration on July 31.

The CBI is probing how Chidambaram, who was the Union Finance Minister in 2006, granted a Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) approval to a foreign firm when only the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) was empowered to do it.