The Madras High Court on Tuesday reserved its judgment on a couple of writ appeals preferred by former Union Minister P. Chidambaram’s wife Nalini Chidambaram, a designated senior counsel, against summons issued to her by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) officials in Kolkata in connection with a probe related to Saradha Realty.
A Division Bench of Justices M.M. Sundresh and N. Anand Venkatesh deferred their verdict after hearing arguments advanced by senior counsel K.T.S. Tulsi for the appellant and Additional Solicitor General G. Rajagopal for the ED.
The appeals were preferred against a common order passed by Justice S.M. Subramaniam on two writ petitions on April 24.
In one of the writ petitions, Ms. Chidambaram had sought to restrain the ED from taking “any coercive step or action or proceeding” against her under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) of 2002, in connection with the professional legal fees received by her from Saradha Realty for having represented the latter in court cases.
The other writ petition had challenged the summons issued to her by the ED officials on September 7, 2016.
Dismissing both the petitions, the judge held that she should appear in person when the officials deemed it necessary for her to explain certain financial transactions that had taken place between her and Saradha Realty. Assailing the single judge’s order, Mr. Tulsi argued that Section 160 of the Code of Criminal Procedure exempts women from being summoned by the investigating officers and therefore it was not right on the part of the ED sleuths as well as the judge to insist on the appellant’s appearance before the officials.
Notice issued
A special court for economic offences cases has issued summons to Ms. Nalini Chidambaram, her son Karti Chidambaram and daughter-in-law Shrinidhi to appear before it on June 25 in connection with the prosecution initiated by the Income Tax Department.
The Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Court, Egmore issued orders to them on the complaint filed by the I-T for alleged non-disclosure of overseas assets under Section 50 of the Black Money (Undisclosed Foreign Income and Assets) and Imposition of Tax Act.
According to the I-T, the trio have failed to disclose a property they jointly own in Cambridge, UK, worth ₹5.37 crore.
