In an unprecedented happening, a Delhi court on Friday adjourned sine die the hearing in the Aircel-Maxis corruption and money laundering cases against former Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram and his son Karti Chidambaram.
Special Judge O.P. Saini adjourned the hearing to an indefinite time on separate requests by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and the CBI made through Solicitor General Tushar Mehta and Special Public Prosecutors to "defer the proceedings till the investigating agencies gather further material."
In separate applications, the ED and the CBI also said letters rogatory had been sent to different countries and responses to them were awaited.
"Since further investigation is pending since long and the prosecution has been seeking adjournment after adjournment, it would be in the interest of justice, if the instant cases are adjourned sine die , with liberty to the prosecution to get them revived as soon as it is able to complete the investigation on collection of further evidence and/or receipt of responses to letters rogatory," Mr. Saini said in his order.
"Accordingly, instant cases are adjourned sine die with liberty to the prosecution to get it revived, as and when they complete the investigation and/or receive responses to letters rogatory sent to different countries. Applications stand disposed of. Files be consigned to record room sine die ," the Judge ordered.
"Adjourning the matters sine die would save the time of the court and that of the prosecutors and investigators also. The Solicitor General/Special Public Prosecutors have also agreed to this proposition," the Judge further said.
The court on Thursday granted anticipatory bail to the father-son duo in both cases, observing that there had been unexplained delay in investigation of the case.
"It may be noted that Enforcement Directorate has filed its complaint in the instant case on 13.06.2018 and a supplementary complaint on 25.10.2018. The matter is listed for consideration of cognizance but the Enforcement Directorate, instead of arguing on the point of cognizance, is seeking date after date since the filing of the complaint, on the pretext that further investigation is still going on. This conduct of the Enforcement Directorate speaks for itself and needs no elaboration," the Judge said while granting them anticipatory bail.
Mr. Chidambaram is at present in judicial custody in the INX Media case.
