New Delhi: Congress leader and former finance minister P Chidambaram will be subjected to further custodial interrogation for four days by the CBI in the INX Media case as a Delhi Court Monday sent him to the agency’s custody till August 30.
Special Judge Ajay Kumar Kuhar accepted the CBI demand CBI that Chidambaram’s custodial interrogation was required. He was produced in the court on expiry of his four-day CBI custody which was granted to the agency August 22.
The CBI sought five more days of P Chidambaram in custody as the probe agency has said that he has been non-cooperative since his arrest Wednesday
Chidambaram was arrested August 21 by the CBI from his Jor Bagh residence here. He was earlier produced before the court August 22 and was remanded to four-day CBI custody.
Earlier in a setback for Chidambaram, the Supreme Court refused Monday to entertain his petition challenging the dismissal of anticipatory bail in a corruption case lodged by the CBI in the INX media scam.
At the outset, a bench comprising justices R Banumathi and AS Bopanna said since P Chidambaram has already been arrested and is in the custody of the CBI, his appeal in the case has become ‘infructuous’. However, the bench said P Chidambaram is at a liberty to seek remedy in accordance with the law.
However, senior advocates Kapil Sibal and AM Singhvi said in their arguments that the CBI ensured that Chidambaram’s plea become infructuous by arresting him when he was seeking protection from arrest.
Both Sibal and Singhvi said that immediately after the Delhi High Court had dismissed Chidambaram’s anticipatory bail plea in both CBI and Enforcement Directorate cases May 20, the senior Congress leader had moved the apex court in the post lunch session and his matter was listed August 21 for hearing.
While attempts were being made to get his petition listed for hearing Wednesday, an order was passed that the matter will be heard August 23. Chidambaram was arrested late evening of August 21.
Sibal narrated the sequence of events from August 20 to August 21, and said ‘the whole purpose of the CBI was to defeat the fundamental rights of my client, (Chidambaram) and his liberty guaranteed under the Constitution. He should have been heard but the matter was listed for hearing Friday and not even Thursday’.
However, the bench said on that ground Chidambaram’s plea against the high court decision cannot be entertained. “So far as the CBI case is concerned, we are not inclined to hear it. We dismiss the special leave petition (of Chidambaram) in CBI case,” the bench stated.
PTI
