The Enforcement Directorate marked a crucial milestone Tuesday by placing the prosecution sanction against P Chidambaram before Delhi’s Rouse Avenue Court in the INX Media money laundering scandal. This procedural green light comes after years of legal wrangling and aims to fast-track proceedings against the veteran Congress leader.
At the heart of the controversy is the 2007 FIPB clearance for Rs 305 crore FDI into INX Media, purportedly facilitated through undue favors. Probes by CBI and ED paint a picture of kickbacks routed via Karti Chidambaram’s opaque firms, generating laundered funds of Rs 65.88 crore.
Money trails led investigators to complex layering via shell entities, culminating in investments in listed healthcare stocks. Karti and associates allegedly acted as intermediaries, collecting illicit gains masked by sham transactions across multiple jurisdictions.
Despite prior arrests and asset freezes totaling over Rs 65 crore—confirmed by tribunals—the case hit snags post-Supreme Court’s directive on CrPC Section 197 applicability to PMLA prosecutions. The ED’s proactive securing of sanction on February 10, 2026, underscores its commitment to judicial compliance while pushing for trial.
Originally charged under corruption laws, the ED complaint of 2020 expanded with fresh evidence in 2024. As the court takes cognizance, questions linger on accountability in corridors of power, with this filing potentially reshaping political narratives ahead of key electoral battles.