Solicitor General Tushar Mehta Seeks 5-Day CBI Custody To Grill Chidambaram About Alleged Role In INX Media Case

The prosecution has sought a five-day custody of former union finance minister P Chidambaram, in order to interrogate him, after he was arrested by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in connection with the INX media case.

The custody was sought by Solicitor General Tushar Mehta at the Rouse Avenue CBI court in New Delhi where Chidambaram was produced.

Earlier, during the day, Chidambaram approached the Special CBI Court at Rouse Avenue Court Complex in Delhi to get bail.

His lawyer Kapil Sibal informed the court that co-accused Karti Chidambaram, who is Chidambaran’s son was granted regular bail by the Delhi High Court.

Sibal argued that the other accused, namely Peter Mukherjea and Indrani Mukherjea are on default bail.

He stated that Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) approval is given by six secretaries of the Government of India and yet, none of them have been arrested, though they were also involved in the act of clearing the INX Media proposal.

He contented that the first information report (FIR) in the case was filed only after 10 years and that the six secretaries are the ones who recommended the proposal of INX Media to Chidambaram when he was the union finance minister.

Sibal argued that Chidambaram was interrogated only on one day and that the prosecution could have called him again if necessary, after all he never skipped any interrogation.

He stated that whatever the CBI states need not be the entire truth and called for the report of Chidambaram’s interrogation on June 6, 2018, in order to find out if he had ever been evasive.

Sibal argued that that even after Chidambaram was arrested by the CBI, he was asked merely 12 questions which had nothing to do with him, that too only after 12 pm noon.