A CBI special court on Thursday remanded senior Congress leader and former Finance Minister P. Chidambaram to CBI custody till August 26. Chidambaram was arrested by the agency in the INX Media case on Wednesday.
“Considering all facts and circumstances, police custody remand of Chidambaram is justified. He will be medically examined every 48 hours. He shall be able to meet his family members and legal counsel for an hour daily as per a mutually convenient time,” said CBI Special Judge Ajay Kumar Kuhar.
Also read: INX Media case: CBI starts questioning Chidambaram
CBI sources said that Chidambaram’s custodial interrogation is required so that all the facts relating to the grant of Foreign Investment Board Promotion (FIPB) approvals could be ascertained. “The custody is required in light of alleged illegal pay-offs made to Chidambaram and other shell companies,” CBI sources said.
The comment assumes significance as till now the scope of CBI’s investigation has been limited to the alleged payments made to companies associated with his son Karti Chidambaram. “Besides, the stand taken by Chidambaram in his replies is in gross contradiction to the stands taken by the other co-accused and witnesses,” the sources said.
Read: Karti Chidambaram made windfall gains by selling off shares, funds used to buy properties
The high-profile hearing began at close to 3 pm at the Rouse Avenue Court and the arguments by Solicitor General Tushar Mehta for the CBI, and senior advocates Kapil Sibal and Abhishek Manu Singhvi for Chidambaram lasted for two hours.
“The serious, active and informed role of the accused is made out from the case diary...there is a money trail that needs to be probed into,” argued Mehta.
Read: After a cat-and-mouse game, CBI arrests Chidambaram
Sibal pointed out to the court that six secretaries in the Ministry of Finance had given FIPB approvals, one of whom was later appointed RBI Governor (D Subbarao) and another was appointed NITI Aayog CEO.
Chidambaram, in his defence, also said that the CBI had only questioned him last year, asking if he had a foreign bank account. He had denied having an account, but had said that his son Karti had an account.
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