india

Updated: Jan 13, 2020 16:15 IST

The Supreme Court on Monday issued a notice to the Enforcement Directorate (ED) over a plea by Congress leader Karti Chidambaram seeking the return of Rs 20 crore, which he had deposited with the top court’s registry as security for travelling abroad.

Karti Chidambaram is facing criminal cases being probed by ED and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). One of the cases relates to the Foreign Investment Promotion Board clearance to INX Media for receiving foreign funds of Rs 305 crore when his father and Congress leader P Chidambaram was the Union finance minister.

The top court had granted Karti Chidambaram permission to travel abroad in January and May last year asking him to deposit Rs 20 crore—Rs 10 crore for January and 10 crore for May—with the secretary-general.

It had in May last year dismissed the Congress lawmaker’s plea seeking the return of Rs 10 crore, claiming he had taken the money on loan and was paying interest on it.

A vacation bench comprising the then Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi and Justice Aniruddha Bose had said, “Pay attention to your constituency.”