Congress leader P Chidambaram on Wednesday filed a bail plea before the Delhi High Court in the INX Media case filed by Enforcement Directorate, PTI reported. This came a day after the Supreme Court granted the 74-year-old former minister bail in the case registered by the Central Bureau of Investigation.
However, Chidambaram is currently under a seven-day remand with the Enforcement Directorate till October 24. He was arrested by the investigating agency shortly before the judicial remand of 60 days in the CBI case came to an end.
Chidambaram said that his health was fragile and he had already suffered two bouts of illness in jail, Hindustan Times reported. The petition said he had lost five kilograms during his two months in jail. “It is submitted that with the onset of cold weather and the incidents of dengue etc, the petitioner’s health is likely to become more vulnerable.”
Pointing to the Supreme Court order granting him bail on Tuesday, Chidambaram said the top court had held that “a mere averment that the petitioner allegedly approached witnesses without any material basis cannot be a reason to deny regular bail”.
Chidambaram was denied bail by a special CBI court earlier on the presumption that he would influence witnesses. The order was upheld by the Delhi High Court. The High Court plea said the special CBI judge had erred by denying Chidambaram’s request to surrender.
On Tuesday, the top court dismissed CBI’s contention that Chidambaram has the “wherewithal to flee the country and he remains a flight risk”.
The case
The Enforcement Directorate filed a money laundering case in May 2017 against Karti Chidambaram, INX Media, and Indrani and Peter Mukerjea.
The CBI has alleged that there were irregularities in the foreign direct investment clearance granted to INX Media by the Foreign Investment Promotion Board in 2007. Chidambaram was the finance minister at the time. The agency has submitted purported emails between INX Media and a company belonging to Karti Chidambaram, claiming that these emails will “prove offences committed”.
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