Chidambaram’s bail plea: SC asks CBI TO file RESPONSE BY OCTOBER 14

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Friday issued notice to the CBI, asking it to respond to former finance minister P Chidambaram's plea seeking bail in the INX Media corruption case.

A bench of justices R Banumathi and Hrishikesh Roy asked Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the CBI, to file its response and posted the matter for hearing on October 15. Chidambaram, who is lodged in Tihar Jail under judicial custody, has moved the top court challenging the September 30 verdict of the Delhi High Court which had dismissed his plea seeking bail in the case.

Chidambaram, 74, is in custody since his arrest by the CBI on August 21. A Delhi court on Thursday extended Chidambaram's judicial custody till October 17. Since his arrest on August 21, he has spent 43 days in custody, both the CBI and judicial, in eight spells.

He was sent to Tihar jail for the first time on September 5, till September 19, when his custody was extended till October 3. The CBI had registered an FIR on May 15, 2017, alleging irregularities in the FIPB clearance granted to the INX Media group for receiving overseas funds of Rs 305 crore in 2007 during Chidambaram's tenure as finance minister.

Thereafter, the ED lodged a money laundering case in this regard in 2017. Senior advocate Kapil Sibal, appearing for Chidmabaram, said the high court had applied three tests -- flight risk, tampering of evidence and influencing of witnesses -- while deciding the bail petition. Sibal said that on two counts, flight risk and tampering of evidence, the high court has ruled in favour of Chidambaram, while on the third count of influencing witnesses, the verdict has gone against the senior Congress leader.

"This is concerning the CBI case. What has happened to the ED'S case," the bench asked Sibal and senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi, who was also representing Chidambaram. Responding to the query, Sibal said that the Enforcement Directorate has not yet arrested Chidambaram in the money laundering case related to the INX Media.