The Supreme Court on Wednesday issued a notice to the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on the bail plea of senior Congress leader P Chidambaram in the INX Media money-laundering case.
Chidambaram had approached the Supreme Court challenging the judgment of the Delhi High Court denying him bail in the money laundering case lodged by the ED.
The probe agency has been asked to file a reply by Monday. The next date of hearing is November 26. A bench, headed by newly sworn-in Chief Justice of India SA Bobde, had on Monday ordered the listing of the bail plea.
The Delhi High Court had on November 15 dismissed Chidambaram's bail plea in the case filed by the ED, saying prima facie allegations against him were serious in nature and he played an "active and key role" in the offence.
Chidambaram was first arrested by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on August 21 in the INX Media corruption case and was granted bail by the Supreme Court on October 22.
Chidambaram, who was arrested by the ED in the money laundering case on October 16, is presently in judicial custody till November 27 under the order of a trial court.
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The CBI had registered the case on May 15, 2017, alleging irregularities in a Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) clearance granted to the INX Media group for receiving overseas funds of Rs 305 crore in 2007 during Chidambaram's tenure as the Union finance minister.
Thereafter, the ED had lodged a money laundering case in this regard in the same year.