Minutes after the Supreme Court granted bail to former finance minister P Chidambaram in the INX Media case, his son Karti Chidambaram took to Twitter to express relief.
“Phew. At last after 106 days,” tweeted Karti, a member of Parliament from Tamil Nadu’s Sivaganga district.
A top court bench of justices R Banumathi, AS Bopanna and Hrishikesh Roy granted P Chidambaram bail and said the “complicity of accused will have to be established in trial.”
The court said Chidambaram has to cooperate with the investigation and cannot leave country without permission by special judge. The bench also said a bail bond of ₹2 lakh has to be executed with two sureties
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) had arrested Chidambaram on August 21 in the INX Media case from his house in Delhi’s Jor Bagh. Initially, he was in police custody and was later sent to Tihar Jail.
Chidambaram was granted bail in the CBI case by the top court on October 22. The ED had arrested the senior Congress leader before the bail under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) also in the INX Media case.
{{/usCountry}}Chidambaram was granted bail in the CBI case by the top court on October 22. The ED had arrested the senior Congress leader before the bail under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) also in the INX Media case.
{{/usCountry}}Chidambaram had approached the Delhi high court for bail. His plea was rejected by the high court and he then appealed in the Supreme Court against the high court judgment.
The INX Media case is related to alleged irregularities in Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) clearance granted to the INX Media group in order to receive overseas funds in 2007 to the tune of ₹305 crore. Chidambaram was the finance minister during the period.
In 2017, the CBI had registered a first information report (FIR) against Chidambaram for offences under the Indian Penal Code and Prevention of Corruption Act.
The ED in its investigation had allegedly found documents linking INX Media to a company associated with P Chidambaram’s son Karti. In 2018, the ED Lodged separate case against P Chidambaram under the PMLA.
During the hearing of the case in Supreme Court, P Chidambaram’s lawyer Kapil Sibal said that the 74-year-old was being portrayed as the kingpin in the case only because he is the father of Karti, who is also an accused in the case.
The central government had opposed the bail plea saying that P Chidambaram wields substantial control over crucial witnesses who are afraid to testify against him.