ED finds CBI draft on 2G in Chidambaram's house

Dalip Singh

NEW DELHI: The Enforcement Directorate said its senior officials, has found a “draft” of a CBI status report on the 2G case from Congress leader P Chidambaram’s house, which the latter agency had given to the Supreme Court 'in sealed cover'.

Such reports from investigative agencies are meant for the court's perusal only and are not supposed to be available to anyone else. The CBI had filed the 2G report to the SC double bench of Justices GS Singhvi and K Radhakrishnan on August 1, 2013. Chidambaram was then a Union minister in the UPA-2 cabinet.


The draft, said ED officials, was found when the Directorate raided Chidambaram's 115A Jor Bagh residence in New Delhi on January 13. Chidambaram told EThe did not wish to comment.

A top ED official, who declined to come on record, told ET the document seized was an “unsigned draft” and contained only those portions of the CBI report to the apex court that dealt with the Aircel-Maxis deal. The ED, ET has learnt, has now written to the CBI to give its opinion on the provenance of the draft. CBI sources said the agency will investigate how the draft was leaked.

The top ED officer quoted earlier said it "may have been the case that the leak happened before concerned CBI officers put their signature on the draft". He also said contents of this document match the CBI's actual status report given to the Supreme Court.

The CBI is probing whether Chidambaram’s son, Karti Chidambaram, benefited from the FIPB clearance to the Aircel-Maxis deal in 2006. Senior Chidambaram was then Union finance minister in UPA-1. Chidamabaram has repeatedly denied any impropriety and maintained the clearance followed regular procedure.