New Delhi, Jan 24 (IANS): The Delhi High Court on Thursday asked the Enforcement Directorate (ED) to file a status report on the money laundering probe into alleged irregularities in the Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) clearance to AirAsia (India).

A Division Bench, comprising Chief Justice D.N. Patel and Justice C. Harishankar, asked the ED to submit the report in a sealed cover, while hearing a plea by Subramanian Swamy of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), challenging the FIPB clearance to the airline.

Swamy had also sought a court direction to make the ED party to the petition to bring the developments on record.

While issuing the notice, the court said, "The ED is permitted to be impleaded as respondent for the purpose of filing a status report in a sealed cover." The issue of the ED's continuation in the petition would be considered after the report was placed on record, it added.

Appearing for AirAsia, Senior Advocate Rajiv Nayar said the law had been set in motion and the plea was not for a court-monitored probe. To this, the court said certain facts needed to be brought on record and it was not ordering any investigation.

In July 2019, the court had directed the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to submit the status report on the AirAsia case probe in a sealed cover. It was taken on record on Thursday.

The matter will now be heard on May 14.