The Supreme Court (SC) today gave protection to former union Home Minister P Chidambaram from arrest from Enforcement Directorate (ED) in the INX Media scam. The CBI as well as the ED matter will now be heard on Monday. Chidambaram will stay in the CBI custody till 26th August. While arguing for Chidambaram, former minister and another senior Congress leader Kapil Sibal said that certain paragraphs in the Delhi High Court order were ‘cut and paste’ of a note handed over by Solicitor General (SG) Tushar Mehta after the pleadings were over in the INX Media case.
Tushar Mehta objects to Sibal’s submissions that the note was handed over after pleadings were over.
“Don’t make false statements. Is that the best case you have”, Mehta#INXMediaCase #PChidambaram
— Bar & Bench (@barandbench) August 23, 2019
However, coming down heavily on Sibal, Mehta told him not to make such false statements.
On Tuesday, the Delhi High Court had cancelled P Chidambaram’s anticipatory bail plea, paving the way for his arrest. Although ED and CBI sought to arrest him immediately after the HC order on August 20, they could not locate him.
Dismissing his plea, the Delhi High Court judge had called former finance minister Chidambaram as the “kingpin”, the key conspirator in the INX Media case.
Later next day, Former Finance Minister who was on the run following the Delhi High Court judgement appeared before the media in a press conference in the AICC headquarters.
Chidambaram was arrested late night on Wednesday by the CBI soon after he reached his Jor Bagh residence in New Delhi following his appearance at a press conference at AICC headquarters. The arrest came after high-intensity drama where CBI officials had to climb up walls to reach the senior Congress leader.
Meanwhile, Chidambaram’s counsel represented by senior Congress leaders Kapil Sibal, Abhishek Manu Singhvi and others had approached the Supreme Court seeking an urgent mentioning, but it was rejected.
Next day on Wednesday, the lawyers had approached the court of Justice NV Ramana, who sent the file to CJI saying he is not authorised to decide who will hear a case. As CJI Gogoi had already started hearing the Ayodhya case, it could not be presented before him. The plea also had some defected which delayed the case of Chidambaram, and it was decided that SC will take up the plea on Friday.
Currently, former Finance Minister P Chidambaram is in five-day CBI custody. A special CBI Court has granted CBI custody of former Union Minister for Finance and Home, P Chidambaram, in the INX Media case till August 26.
