The Supreme Court recently declined to entertain a plea by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) against supply of certain documents to accused in the INX Media case [CBI v. M/s INX Media Pvt. Ltd. & Ors]..A bench of Justices BR Gavai and JB Pardiwala on July 18 upheld the rulings by the Delhi High Court and a special court in this regard..The Supreme Court's order came while disposing of an appeal against a Delhi High Court judgment from November 2021.In that ruling, the High Court had dismissed the CBI's plea challenging an order permitting the inspection of documents by the accused in the INX Media case including former Union Minister P Chidambaram and his son Karti.Single-judge Justice Mukta Gupta had passed the judgment in a plea filed by the CBI challenging the order of a special CBI court which had allowed the accused to inspect the documents collected during the course of investigation.The issue arose after the special court had taken cognizance of the CBI's chargesheet against Chidambaram and his son on October 21, 2019. This was after the CBI had registered an FIR in the case on May 15, 2017.It was the CBI’s case that Chidambaram had misused his official position while granting Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) approval to INX Media and INX News Pvt Ltd in lieu of illegal gratification.The special court held that to ensure a fair trial to the accused persons, the CBI was required to file or produce all the documents collected or statements recorded by it during the course of investigation, and that the accused persons are also entitled to copies of such documents.The High Court upheld the same leading to the appeal before the top court..[Read Supreme Court order]
The Supreme Court recently declined to entertain a plea by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) against supply of certain documents to accused in the INX Media case [CBI v. M/s INX Media Pvt. Ltd. & Ors]..A bench of Justices BR Gavai and JB Pardiwala on July 18 upheld the rulings by the Delhi High Court and a special court in this regard..The Supreme Court's order came while disposing of an appeal against a Delhi High Court judgment from November 2021.In that ruling, the High Court had dismissed the CBI's plea challenging an order permitting the inspection of documents by the accused in the INX Media case including former Union Minister P Chidambaram and his son Karti.Single-judge Justice Mukta Gupta had passed the judgment in a plea filed by the CBI challenging the order of a special CBI court which had allowed the accused to inspect the documents collected during the course of investigation.The issue arose after the special court had taken cognizance of the CBI's chargesheet against Chidambaram and his son on October 21, 2019. This was after the CBI had registered an FIR in the case on May 15, 2017.It was the CBI’s case that Chidambaram had misused his official position while granting Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) approval to INX Media and INX News Pvt Ltd in lieu of illegal gratification.The special court held that to ensure a fair trial to the accused persons, the CBI was required to file or produce all the documents collected or statements recorded by it during the course of investigation, and that the accused persons are also entitled to copies of such documents.The High Court upheld the same leading to the appeal before the top court..[Read Supreme Court order]