The Supreme Court on Tuesday refused to grant Karti Chidambaram, son of former Union minister P Chidambaram, interim protection from arrest in alleged graft related to INX Media even as it sought a response from the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in the matter.

Karti Chidambaram had sought quashing of the ED’s summons against him in the INX Media case. The apex court also sought response from the ED on Karti’s fresh plea seeking protection from arrest and listed the matter for 8 March.

Earlier in the day, the Central Bureau of Investigation told the SC that it will seek Karti Chidambaram’s custody before the trial court in the INX Media corruption case saying “new revelations” have come up and his custodial interrogation was necessary to confront him with the “new facts”.

“We are willing to co-operate in every way and we also did so. I am worried about my arrest,” Kapil Sibal submitted before the court on behalf of Karti.

In his fresh writ petition before the apex court, Karti Chidambaram had challenged the summons on the ground that the ED has no jurisdiction to issue such notices based on the FIR lodged by the CBI.

The ED had registered a case against Karti and others in May last year. It registered an Enforcement Case Information Report (ECIR), the ED’s equivalent of a police FIR, against the accused named in a CBI complaint.

These included Karti, INX Media and its directors, Peter and Indrani Mukerjea.

An FIR, filed on 15 May last year, had alleged irregularities in the Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) clearance to INX Media for receiving Rs 305 crore in overseas funds in 2007 when P Chidambaram was Union Finance Minister.

The apex court was hearing pleas, including the CBI’s appeal, challenging Madras High Court order staying a lookout circular (LOC) issued against Karti Chidambaram.

Senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi, appearing for Karti, said the CBI just wants to keep him in custody by hook or crook.

“I have cooperated. I’m not obliged to answer what you (CBI) want to hear. My duty is only to make myself available for questioning,” Singhvi submitted.