P Chidambaram moves Delhi HC seeking bail in INX Media case, challenges judicial remand

P Chidambaram moves Delhi HC seeking bail in INX Media case, challenges judicial remand

Former Union Minister P Chidambaram has moved the Delhi High Court seeking regular bail in the INX Media case.

P Chidambaram has also moved the High Court against an order of the Special CBI Court at Rouse Avenue Court Complex sending him to judicial custody till September 19.

Chidambaram has pleaded that his judicial remand was contrary to the settled principles of law .

Emphasizing on concerns of liberty, Chidambaram has argued that mere apprehensions and presumptions by the investigating agency that the investigation would be hampered because of his status and position – without any material on record to show the same – could not have resulted in his judicial remand by an “unreasoned” and “non-speaking order”.

He has further argued that the criminal case against him is borne out of a political vendetta and is mala fide.

It is further alleged that the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) is “acting at behest of the Central Government” which wants to “malign the untainted and unimpeachable reputation” of P Chidambaram.

Seeking bail in the case, Chidambaram has argued that his arrest by the CBI was illegal and an abuse of the process of law.

It is also argued that he is not a flight risk, and that he has cooperated with the investigation. There is also no scope of tampering the evidence or influencing the witness, it is added.

Special CBI Judge Ajay Kumar Kuhar had remanded Chidambaram to judicial custody  on September 5 after the expiry of the maximum time period for police custody of an accused.

Chidambaram was arrested by the CBI in connection with the INX Media case on August 21, a day after the Delhi High Court denied his anticipatory bail plea. 

He was thereafter sent to custody on August 22 in the case filed by the CBI. On August 26, the Supreme Court rejected the SLP challenging the order of the Delhi High Court denying him protection from arrest by the CBI, upon noting that the plea had become infructuous. However, the Bench granted him interim protection from arrest by the ED.

The same day, the Special CBI Court at Rouse Avenue Court Complex extended the CBI’s custody of P Chidambaram till August 30.

The custody was finally extended till September 5.

In the case being probed by the ED, the Supreme Court had rejected Chidambaram’s plea seeking anticipatory bail.

The two petitions have been filed through Advocate Arshdeep Singh Khurana.

Bar and Bench - Indian Legal news
www.barandbench.com