INX Media Case: ED Formalizes Charges as Competent Authority Greenlights Chidambaram’s Prosecution
(By Syed Ali Taher Abedi)
New Delhi: In a decisive procedural breakthrough, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) has secured prosecution sanction on February 10, 2026 under Section 197 CrPC (now Section 218 BNSS, 2023) to prosecute former Union Finance Minister P. Chidambaram in the high-profile INX Media money laundering case, effectively removing the final legal roadblock that had stalled trial proceedings.
The sanction has now been formally placed before the Special PMLA Court, paving the way for resumption of the long-pending trial that had slowed after a crucial ruling of the Supreme Court of India mandating prior sanction for prosecution of public servants.
Anatomy of the Alleged Graft Network
The ED’s investigation under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), registered as ECIR/07/HIU/2017, originates from a CBI FIR dated May 15, 2017, and exposes what investigators describe as a ₹65.88 crore bribery and laundering architecture.
According to the probe, during P. Chidambaram’s tenure as Union Finance Minister, Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) approvals were allegedly granted to INX Media Private Limited in violation of regulatory norms, in return for illegal gratification.
The bribe money, investigators claim, was routed through shell and intermediary entities, including M/s Advantage Strategic Consulting Pvt. Ltd. (ASCPL)—allegedly controlled by his son, Karti P. Chidambaram.
The funds were then layered through strategic share investments in healthcare companies such as M/s Vasan Health Care Pvt. Ltd. and M/s AGS 2 Health Care Pvt. Ltd., before being multiplied through sales, corporate restructuring, and overseas remittances, thereby camouflaging the money trail across jurisdictions and financial channels.
Assets Attached, Charges Framed
The ED has already attached ₹53.93 crore (October 10, 2018) and ₹11.04 crore (March 31, 2023) as proceeds of crime—attachments that stand confirmed by the Adjudicating Authority, giving judicial backing to the agency’s financial reconstruction of the alleged laundering network.
Prosecution complaints under Sections 44 and 45 read with Sections 3 and 4 of the PMLA were initially filed on June 1, 2020, with the court taking cognizance on March 24, 2021, followed by a supplementary complaint on December 16, 2024.
The case arrays P. Chidambaram as Accused No.1, Karti Chidambaram as Accused No.7, along with eight other accused, before the Special PMLA Court at Rouse Avenue.
Supreme Court Ruling and ED’s Legal Countermove
Proceedings had slowed after a November 6, 2024 judgment of the Supreme Court in Directorate of Enforcement vs Bibhu Prasad Acharya, which held that prior prosecution sanction is mandatory for public servants, giving the defence grounds to seek procedural delays.
The ED has now neutralised that legal hurdle by obtaining the requisite sanction from the competent authority and filing it before the trial court—an action officials describe as a procedural reset that restores full judicial momentum to the case.
Trial Set to Regain Momentum
With the sanction order now on record, the INX Media case enters a new prosecutorial phase, transforming what was once a procedurally stalled investigation into an active courtroom battle.
The development signals a shift from inquiry to full-fledged judicial adjudication, as the ED prepares to press its case on alleged corruption, abuse of official position, and laundering of proceeds of crime—marking a critical escalation in one of India’s most closely watched financial crime prosecutions.
