SC dismisses Chidambaram's appeal against Delhi HC order, calls plea infructuous

In yet another major setback for former finance minister P Chidambaram, the Supreme Court on Monday, August 26, dismissed the senior Congress leader's appeal against a Delhi High Court order denying anticipatory bail in a case filed by the Central Bureau of Investigation over the INX Media money laundering scam.

Refusing to take up his petition, the apex court called Chidambaram's plea infructuous as he was already in the custody of the CBI.

Senior advocate Kapil Sibal told a bench headed by Justice R Banumathi that despite the previous order by Supreme Court, his client's petition challenging trial court remand order was not listed for Monday.

Justice Banumathi said the petition will be listed once the apex court registry gets the Chief Justice's order in this regard. "The registry has some difficulties and they have to take orders from the Chief Justice," the bench said.

Solicitor General Tushar Mehta said he had no objection to the plea being heard. The Delhi High Court had on August 20 rejected Chidambaram's anticipatory bail plea in the INX media case.

On August 21, he moved the Supreme Court, challenging Delhi High Court order but could not get an urgent hearing on the plea.

Chidambaram was arrested on Wednesday night and presented before a trial court, which remanded him to the custody of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) till August 26.

The Enforcement Directorate and the CBI are probing how Chidambaram's son Karti managed to get Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) clearance in 2007 when his father was the finance minister.

Karti was arrested on February 28, 2018, by the CBI for allegedly accepting money to facilitate the FIPB clearance to INX Media. He was later granted bail.

His chartered accountant, S Bhaskararaman, was also arrested and released on bail later.

(With agency inputs)