P Chidambaram can't be arrested till July 10 in Aircel-Maxis case: Court

New Delhi: Former finance minister and senior Congress leader P Chidambaram got protection from arrest by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) till July 10.

The ED today sought time from a Delhi court for filing a detailed reply in the Aircel-Maxis case.

The court has fixed the matter for further hearing on July 10, the same date on which hearing against Karti Chidambaram, son of P Chidambaram, in Aircel-Maxis case is scheduled.

Chidambaram's role has come under the scanner in the Rs 3,500 crore Aircel-Maxis deal in which the ED has already questioned his son, Karti.

The former finance minister, also the ex-home minister, had last week approached the court of Special Judge O P Saini seeking relief from arrest by the ED in this case.

The Aircel-Maxis cases pertains to grant of Foreign Investment Promotion Board clearance to firm M/S Global Communication Holding Services Ltd in 2006 for investment in Aircel.

The Supreme Court had on March 12 directed investigating agencies -- the CBI and the ED -- to complete their probe into the 2G spectrum allocation cases, including the Aircel Maxis alleged money laundering case, in six months.

The ED had said that the FIPB approval in the Aircel-Maxis FDI case was granted in March 2006 by Chidambaram even though he was competent to accord approval on project proposals only up to Rs 600 crore and beyond that it required the approval of the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA).

The ED is investigating "the circumstances of the FIPB approval granted (in 2006) by the then finance minister."

The ED is probing the Aircel-Maxis deal under the PMLA after taking cognisance of a 2011 CBI FIR in the case.

The senior Chidambaram had earlier described the ED action in this case as a "crazy mixture of falsehoods and conjectures" and said that the charge sheet filed by probe agencies had been rejected by the court.

However, the agencies have maintained that the FIR in the case has not been quashed.

In September last year, the ED had attached assets worth Rs 1.16 crore of Karti and a firm allegedly linked to him in connection with this case.

(With inputs from PTI)