INX Media case: ED places prosecution nod against P Chidambaram in court

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has placed a prosecution sanction received from the competent authority against former Union Finance Minister and senior Congress leader P Chidambaram in connection with a money laundering case linked to INX Media before a special court. 

In a press release dated February 26, 2026, the agency said it has placed the prosecution sanction order before the Special Court (PMLA), Rouse Avenue Court, New Delhi, to expedite the trial in the matter. 

The ED had initiated its investigation under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002, on the basis of an FIR registered by the CBI on May 15, 2017 against INX Media Pvt Ltd, INX News Pvt Ltd, Karti P Chidambaram and others for offences under the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) and the Prevention of Corruption Act. 

According to the agency, its probe revealed that Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) approval was granted to INX Media during P Chidambaram’s tenure as Union Finance Minister. The ED alleged that, in consideration for granting and subsequently regularising the FIPB approval, illegal gratification was demanded and received through entities beneficially owned or controlled by his son, Karti Chidambaram. 

The agency said the funds were routed through shell companies, including Advantage Strategic Consulting Pvt Ltd and associated entities under the direct or indirect control of Karti P Chidambaram. These funds were allegedly layered and integrated through investments in shares of Vasan Health Care Pvt Ltd and AGS Health Care Pvt Ltd, and later multiplied through sale of shares and overseas investments. 

The ED further stated that Karti P Chidambaram and his close associates, acting on behalf of his father, interacted with officials of INX Media in connection with the FIPB approval and collected proceeds of crime arising therefrom. The proceeds were allegedly laundered through complex transactions across multiple jurisdictions without any genuine business activity, structured to conceal the money trail. The funds were subsequently used for deposits in bank accounts and for investment in movable and immovable properties in India and abroad in the names of shell entities and associates. 

The agency has quantified the total proceeds of crime at approximately Rs 65.88 crore. Of this, assets amounting to Rs 53.93 crore and Rs 11.04 crore were provisionally attached under the PMLA through orders dated October 10, 2018 and March 31, 2023, respectively. Both attachment orders have been confirmed by the Adjudicating Authority. 

A prosecution complaint under Sections 44 and 45 read with Sections 3 and 4 of the PMLA was filed before the Special Court on June 1, 2020, and cognisance was taken on March 24, 2021. P Chidambaram was arrayed as Accused No. 1, Karti P Chidambaram as Accused No. 7, along with eight other accused. A supplementary prosecution complaint was filed on December 16, 2024. 

Referring to a November 6, 2024 judgment of the Supreme Court in the case of Directorate of Enforcement vs Bibhu Prasad Acharya and others, the ED said the requirement of prosecution sanction under Section 197(1) of the CrPC is applicable to complaints filed under Section 44(1)(b) of the PMLA. Following the judgment, several accused persons in PMLA cases challenged trial proceedings, leading to delays. 

In view of the Supreme Court ruling, the ED said it initiated remedial steps by seeking prosecution sanctions in all such cases involving public servants. Accordingly, sanction in the case of P Chidambaram was sought and obtained on February 10, 2026, along with an order under Section 197 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973 (Section 218 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023). 

The prosecution sanction order has now been placed before the Special Court to ensure expeditious trial in the case, the agency said.