The Supreme Court has said that it cannot pass an order on the former union minister P Chidambaram’s plea that seeks an urgent hearing and also seeks interim relief against Delhi High Court on Tuesday canceling his anticipatory bail. Justice V Ramana said that he will forward the matter to Chief justice of India Ranjan Gogoi, since this is a case of ‘monumental money laundering’ and has further directed Chidambaram’s lawyers to complete the necessary formalities in the meantime.
Earlier today, a high profile legal team representing the former union minister P Chidambaram filed a Special Leave Petition in the Supreme Court seeking interim relief against Tuesday’s order of the Delhi High Court canceling his anticipatory bail plea.
Former finance minister P Chidambaram faces arrest in the INX Media case, which pertains to the alleged irregularities in the Foreign Investment Promotion Board clearance to the media group for receiving overseas funds to the tune of Rs 307 crore at a time Chidambaram was the Union finance minister.
After the Delhi High Court rejected the former Union finance minister’s anticipatory bail plea, he approached the Supreme Court seeking protection from arrest in the case. Chidambaram’s lawyer Kapil Sibal requested the Supreme Court registrar for urgent listing of his petition yesterday. The registrar asked Sibal to mention the matter before Justice NV Ramana on Wednesday.
On Tuesday night, as team,s from the CBI landed up at his house after the court rejected his plea for anticipatory bail, Chidambaram remained virtually in hiding. The CBI then pasted a notice outside his house asking him to appear before them within two hours of receiving the note.
It is almost certain that he faced arrest in “INX Media case“, in which he is accused of facilitating foreign investment in a media company as Finance Minister in the Congress-led UPA government at the instance of his son Karti, who allegedly received kickbacks for his role. Calling it a classic case of money laundering, Justice Sunil Gaur said: “It was pertinently observed that the economic crimes of such mammoth scale are craftily planned and executed. This grant of bail in cases like instant one will send a wrong message to the society.”
Shortly after the order, a CBI team of six officers showed up at Chidambaram’s home at Jor Bagh in south Delhi. After a few hours, the team left and another from the Enforcement Directorate arrived. Finally, around midnight, the CBI pasted a notice that read: “Whereas it appears that you are acquainted with the facts and circumstances of the case noted below, which I am now investigating under Chapter XII of the Code of Criminal Procedure, you are hereby directed to attend before me within two hours of the receipt of this notice for the purpose of investigation of case.”
This morning, Chidambaram’s lawyer demanded to know from the CBI under what law he had been asked to appear within two hours.
–India Legal Bureau
You might also be interested in: