A Special CBI Court on Thursday reserved its order on the CBI custody of former finance minister P. Chidambaram. The senior Congress has been in the custody of the central investigative agency in the INX Media money laundering case since August 21.
Chidambaram was produced before the Delhi court after expiry of his 2-day CBI custody in the INX Media corruption case.
The court reserved its order after the CBI moved an application for judicial custody of Chidambaram. Thursday's hearing in the case saw Chidambaram's counsel making a point for sending him to ED custody to prevent the Congress leader's judicial custody. "Either I surrender and ED takes me into custody... I should not be sent to judicial custody," Chidambaram's counsel Kapil Sibal argued in court.
"There is nothing found against me. There is no charge-sheet. They say I am a powerful and influential witness, but they have no evidence. There is no evidence of tampering of evidence," Sibal submitted in the court. CBI had earlier argued that Chidambaram might tamper with evidence if he was let go.
He was brought to the special court hours after he withdrew his petition challenging the non-bailable warrant (NBW) issued against him following which he was sent to the CBI custody.
Chidambaram's 15-day CBI custody, ordered by the special court in five spells, ends today.
He was produced before Special Judge Ajay Kumar Kuhar, who on Tuesday sent him to CBI custody till today by taking note of the the Supreme Court's order which had said that Chidambaram would be in the CBI custody till September 5.
The apex court Thursday also decided his appeal against the Delhi High Court's August 20 order in the money laundering case lodged by ED and rejected his challenge to denial of anticipatory bail.
Hours after the apex court order, another special court granted him and his son Karti anticipatory bail in the Aircel Maxis cases.
