Chidambaram arrested: CBI wins round 1 as court grants custody till August 26

Bengaluru: Former Union minister P Chidambaram’s wait for bail continues as the CBI special court has granted the investigation agency custody of the accused till August 26, which means it is a 5-day custody.

The CBI had also sought a 5-day custody of P Chidambaram.

So, this means, the CBI has won round 1 of the tussle in the INX media case in which Chidambaram has been accused of getting quid pro quo to clear FDI of over Rs 305 crores in the year 2007.

Earlier, lawyers for P Chidambaram, including Kapil Sibal and Abhishek Singhvi and Tushar Mehta, the solicitor general made their arguments before the court.

While P Chidambaram’s lawyers stressed on the fact that the government was on a witch-hunt to stymie its opponents, the solicitor general emphasised that the custodial interrogation was essential as they have fresh evidence in the case, and he was not cooperating.

It must be mentioned that the accused Chidambaram wilfully expressed his intention to speak out, but the solicitor general objected to this. However, the court gave an opportunity to Chidambaram to speak in which he stressed that he cooperated with the investigating agency. 

Moments after the order came out, he was escorted by the CBI team and security personnel to the CBI headquarters, where he will be confronted on not just the INX media case, but other alleged cases of corruption as well.

As he was being escorted, there was massive security put in place. Media personnel were not allowed to talk to him. But he appeared calm and composed on the outside, but inside he would surely be a worried man.

The court also ordered that the health of Chidambaram be examined once every 48 hours. The court has also asked the CBI not to violate the dignity of the accused. The court has also asked the CBI to allow him access to the family members for a 30-minute period every day.

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