INX scam case: ED asks Congress MP Karti Chidambaram to vacate Jor Bagh residence within 10 days

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Wednesday has directed former Union minister P Chidambaram’s son and INX scam accused Congress MP Karti Chidambaram to vacate his home in Delhi’s Jor Bagh within 10 days. The house was earlier attached by the agency in the INX Media corruption case.

Reportedly, the ED has issued an eviction notice on Wednesday evening following an earlier order of the Adjudicating Authority, PMLA (Prevention of Money Laundering Act), by which the attachment of the property was confirmed. The property was attached by the probe agency in October last year.

The immovable property situated at 115-A block 172, Jor Bagh, New Delhi-3 was attached by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) last year. The property was jointly owned by Karti Chidambaram and his mother Nalini.

A notice issued by the ED said that Karti P Chidambaram of the property is “directed to vacate said premise and hand over the possession of the property (50 per cent attached by the ED and confirmed by authority vide order dated March 29) to the undersigned (ED) within 10 days from the date of receipt of this notice.”

After Karti vacates the Jor Bagh residence, the property will be at the disposal of ED until further orders and kept intact for further proceedings under the act, said Nitesh Rana, Enforcement Directorate counsel.

Senior Congress leader P Chidambaram and his son Karti Chidambaram are accused in the INX Media scam which involves charges of bribery and lobbying in granting foreign investments worth Rs 300 crores to INX Media, which is now known as NewsX, it was then owned by Peter and Indrani Mukerjea.

The ED had initiated a probe on the basis of the Central Bureau of Investigation’s FIR. Chidambaram is accused of misusing his power as the finance minister to grant INX Media an FIPB clearance. Karti was arrested by agencies last year in February for allegedly lobbying for the Mukerjeas, in order to get FIPB clearance from Finance Ministry, which at the time was under his father.

Along with his Jor Bagh residence, the ED had also attached properties and bank deposits of Karti Chidambaram worth around Rs.54 crores in connection with the case in October last year.