The Delhi High Court on Friday dismissed Congress leader P Chidambaram’s interim bail plea in the INX Media case after medical experts said he did not need to be hospitalised, PTI reported. The court had on Thursday directed the All India Institute of Medical Sciences to set up a board of doctors to examine whether the former Union finance minister needed to be admitted to hospital.

Solicitor General Tushar Mehta told the court that the AIIMS medical board report said that Chidambaram does not require a sterile environment and his condition is fine. The hospital found Chidambaram’s vital signs to be normal, NDTV reported.

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The medical board, however, recommended that the senior Congress leader be provided with mineral water and food from home.

Justice Suresh Kumar Kait directed the Tihar jail superintendent to provide Chidambaram with clean and hygienic surroundings along with home-cooked food, mineral water, mosquito protection net and repellant. The court added that his medical examination should be done regularly and he should be provided with a face mask.

Chidambaram is suffering from Crohn’s disease. He was taken to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences in New Delhi on Monday evening after he complained of a stomach ache. He was discharged soon after being treated for some gastrointestinal complications, and taken back to the Enforcement Directorate office.

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On Wednesday, a court in Delhi sent Chidambaram to judicial custody till November 13 in the INX Media case. Chidambaram has been in the Enforcement Directorate’s custody since October 17. The 74-year-old former Union finance minister had first been arrested in August by the Central Bureau of Investigation, which is also conducting inquiries in the case. He was sent to Tihar jail on September 5.

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