Chidambaram arrested and the interrogation begins: Know the latest update
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Yesterday, former Finance and Home Minister P. Chidambaram has been arrested by CBI official on the charges of corruption and bribing. Chidambaram is an accused in 2007 matter of granting the license to INX media group and giving clearance of 305 crores foreign investment to the same group.
Chidambaran spent a very silent night in the custody and today post 10 AM the investigation will proceed. CBI asked Chidambaram to divulge all the details related to his meetings with Indrani Mukherjea, co-founder INX.
The CBI had registered an FIR on May 15, 2017, alleging irregularities in the Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) clearance granted to the INX media group for receiving overseas funds of Rs 305 crore in 2007 during Chidambaram’s tenure as finance minister. Thereafter, the ED lodged a money laundering case in this regard in 2018.
P. Chidambaram son Karti Chidambaram said that “His father has been arrested to divert the public attention from Kashmir and named this arrest as a well planned staged reality show.”
“Well said P. Chidambaram! It is a tribute to your strength of character that you are standing up to persecution &character assassination w/ courage & confidence. I believe justice will prevail in the end. Till then we will have to allow some malicious minds their schadenfreude.” Shashi Tharoor replied to a past tweet of Chidambaram.
“I’m categorically mentioning this. I have never met Peter Mukerjea or Indrani Mukerjea or anyone associated with them,” says Karti Chidambaram as he lands in New Delhi.
“The Government is hell-bent upon using CBI and ED as personal revenge-seeking departments., which is evident in the way P Chidambaram has been persecuted and prosecuted.” Randeep Surjewala said during addressing a press conference.
After a night long and haft day custodial remand Chidambaram is likely to produce in court post-lunch.
Lawyer and Activist Prashant Bhushan called Chidambaran’s custodial arrest a malafide action and tweeted, “Arresting Chidambaram for ‘custodial interrogation’ is totally malafide & against the Constitution. He has cooperated with the investigation & appeared before CBI & ED whenever called. Do they want to extract a confession by custodial torture? Govt’s misuse of agencies is boundless.”
“Chidambaram is being arrested on the confessions made by jailed women who is already accused of murdering her own daughter. Chidambaram is an honest and nobleman who has served this country in public interest for more than 4 decades.” Surjewala said during addressing a presser.
Medical examination of Chidambaram done. He is likely to be produced in Special Judge Ajay Kuhar’s Court post 4 PM, News18 tweeted.
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) concluded its second round of interrogation of Congress leader and former finance minister P Chidambaram in the INX Media corruption case on Thursday. Reportedly, he was interrogated for three hours, during which Chidambaram was “evasive”, India Today quoted sources as saying.
Solicitor General of India Tushar Mehta is likely to represent CBI against Congress leader P. Chidambaram in the INX media case hearing.
“I condemns the manner in which P Chidambaram was arrested. She added that she was not questioning the law, but condemns the manner of his arrest as he is a distinguished personality, being a former Finance and Home Minister. “It is very sad. Democracy is in danger,” Mamata Banerjee said.
“Congress is trying to convert corruption into a revolution,” Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said.
P Chidambaram and his legal team, which includes senior advocate and Congress leader Kapil Sibal, are inside the special CBI court – 3:30 PM
As he sought five-day custody of P Chidambaram, Solicitor-General Tushar Mehta told the court that the case was “serious” and of “monumental magnitude”.
“Custodial Interrogation is required to confront P Chidambaram with the relevant documents and other accused in the case to take the investigation further,” Bar and Bench quoted Solicitor-General Tushar Mehta as telling the CBI court – 4:00 PM
“He (Chidambaram) is not providing all the documents required for an investigation… Certain questions can be answered only when the accused is not under the protective umbrella.” – CBI to Delhi Court.
Opposing the CBI’s demand for five-day custody of P Chidambaram, senior advocate Kapil Sibal told the CBI court that former finance minister’s custodial interrogation was unnecessary. “FIPB approval is given by six secretaries of the Government of India. None of them have been arrested,”
Countering CBI’s argument that “certain questions can be answered only when accused is not under a protective umbrella”, Kapil Sibal said, “When the judge reserved the judgment for seven months, is this the ‘protective umbrella’ that P Chidambaram sought?”
The investigation agency’s entire case was based on (accused-turned-approver) Indrani Mukherjea’s evidence and a case diary. “Approver is a status, not evidence,” Senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi said.