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2 min readNew DelhiFeb 26, 2026 10:24 PM IST
The CBI had alleged that in 2006, Chidambaram had approved FIPB clearance to Aircel-Maxis for an FDI proposal of USD 800 million. (File photo)
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has obtained prosecution sanction to proceed against former Union Finance Minister P Chidambaram in the Aircel-Maxis money laundering case, paving the way for the trial to resume before the special court under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
According to the agency, the sanction was granted by the competent authority on February 10 in compliance with the recent Supreme Court judgment that made prosecution sanction mandatory under Section 197 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (now Section 218 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023) for cases involving public servants. The ED subsequently placed the sanction order before the special court at Rouse Avenue to expedite trial proceedings.
“The development stems from an investigation initiated under PMLA, 2002, in connection with the CBI’s FIR registered on October 9, 2011 in the Aircel-Maxis case,” an ED spokesperson said in a statement.
The CBI had alleged that in 2006, then finance minister Chidambaram had approved Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) clearance to Aircel-Maxis for a foreign direct investment (FDI) proposal of USD 800 million (approximately Rs 3,565 crore), a decision that, as per procedure, should have been cleared by the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) since it exceeded the minister’s approval limit of Rs 600 crore.
“The ED’s investigation alleged that the approval was granted in exchange for quid pro quo benefits and that illegal gratification amounting to Rs 1.16 crore was received through companies linked to Chidambaram’s son Karti Chidambaram — namely Advantage Strategic Consulting Pvt. Ltd. and Chess Management Services Pvt. Ltd. These funds were later identified as ‘proceeds of crime’ and provisionally attached in 2017, with the attachment confirmed by the Adjudicating Authority in 2018,” the spokesperson said.
“The agency filed its first prosecution complaint under PMLA in June 2018, followed by a supplementary complaint in October that year, naming Chidambaram as accused no 6. The special court took cognizance of the alleged money laundering offence in November 2021,” the spokesperson said.
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