KARTI’S LAWYER DUBS CASE AS ‘BIZZARE’

DC CORRESPONDENT with agency inputs NEW DELHI, FEB. 28 Karti Chidambaram, arrested in connection with the INX Media case, was on Wednesday sent to one-day CBI custody by a Delhi court after the agency claimed his custodial interrogation was needed to unearth the conspiracy over alleged payment of $1 million bribe to him by the media company through foreign entities.

The CBI sought his custodial interrogation for 15 days but duty magistrate Sumeet Anand granted a day’s custody, making it clear that Karti has to be produced before the concerned special judge tomorrow at 2.30 pm.

The concerned special judge had left the court premises after around 4.30 pm. Karti was produced before the duty magistrate at around 4.50 pm.

During the proceedings, CBI prosecutor V. K. Sharma told the court that “Indrani’s statement under section 164 CrPC was recorded before a magistrate on February 17 in which she told the magistrate that in a meeting at a five-star hotel here, she and Peter met Karti and he demanded $1 million.”

Senior advocate A.M. Singhvi, appearing for Karti, said it was a “bizzare” case and no grounds for arrest were made out.

“It is a bizzare case at the threshhold. It is not a case of arrest, leave aside police custody or judicial custody,” he told the court while opposing the CBI’s remand.