The Delhi High Court on Wednesday granted interim protection to former Finance Minister P Chidambaram in the INX Media money laundering case till August 1.

Justice A K Pathak directed the Enforcement Directorate (ED) not to take any coercive steps against Chidambaram in the case till August 1, the next date fixed for hearing.

The court was hearing Chidambaram's anticipatory bail plea in the case.

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) are probing how his son Karti Chidambaram managed to get clearance from the Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB).

Karti was arrested on February 28 by the CBI for allegedly taking money to facilitate the FIPB clearance to INX Media in 2007 when his father was the Union Finance Minister in the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government. Later, Karti was granted bail.

Karti's chartered accountant S Bhaskararaman was arrested, in the case, by the ED and he was later granted bail.