Chidambaram faces arrest after Delhi HC denies him anticipatory bail

Chidambaram was the finance minister in the United Progressive Alliance government’s first term when INX Media’s FIPB proposal was cleared

The Delhi High Court (HC) on Tuesday denied anticipatory bail and protection from immediate arrest to former finance minister P Chidambaram in a case related to alleged discrepancies in granting Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) clearances to the INX Media group.

Late in the evening, officials of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) raided Chidambaram’s residence in Jor Bagh here, but the Congress leader was not present. Enforcement Directorate (ED) officials, too, came searching for him.

After the high court denied relief to Chidambaram, he met Congress leaders and senior advocates Kapil Sibal, Abhishek Manu Singhvi and Salman Khurshid in the Supreme Court to deliberate on the further course of action. Based on the directions of a Supreme Court official, the former finance minister is likely to seek an urgent hearing from the Supreme Court in the matter on Wednesday. Following the development, Chidambaram stayed away from the media, even as the Congress called the probe agencies’ action against him a “political vendetta”.

I-T raids being planned at my house to cripple poll campaign: Chidambaram

He said the people of the country were watching and would give a befitting reply in this election

Elections 2019: Senior Congress leader P Chidambaram Sunday alleged that the government was planning Income Tax raids at his residence in a bid to cripple the Lok Sabha election campaign. He said the people of the country were watching and would give a befitting reply in this election.

Senior Congress leader P Chidambaram Sunday alleged that the government was planning Income Tax raids at his residence in a bid to cripple the Lok Sabha election campaign. He said the people of the country were watching and would give a befitting reply in this election. “I have been told that the I-T Department has plans to raid my residence in Sivaganga constituency and in Chennai. We will welcome the search party,” he said on Twitter.

“The I-T department knows that we have nothing to hide. They and other agencies have searched our residences before and found nothing. The intention is to cripple the election campaign,” he claimed. The former finance minister said the people are watching the “excesses of this government and will deliver a fitting lesson in the elections”. Chidambaram’s son Karti Chidambaram is contesting the Sivaganga Lok Sabha constituency in Tamil Nadu. He is facing charges of corruption and is out on bail.

INX Media case: HC grants P Chidambaram interim protection till July 3

Justice A K Pathak asked Chidambaram to join and cooperate in the questioning session as and when called by the CBI

The Delhi High Court on Thursday granted former Union minister P Chidambaram interim protection from arrest till July 3 in the Central Bureau of Investigation's INX Media corruption case.

Justice A K Pathak asked Chidambaram to join and cooperate in the questioning session as and when called by the CBI.

The court also sought the investigating agency's response on the Congress leader's anticipatory bail plea and listed the matter for further hearing on July 3.

Additional Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the CBI, opposed the anticipatory bail plea saying he was merely called for questioning.

Chidambaram had on Wednesday rushed to a trial court for protection from arrest in Aircel-Maxis case before approaching the Delhi High Court in connection with the INX Media case, in which he has been asked by probe agencies to join investigations.

Chidambaram's role has come under the scanner of investigating agencies in the Aircel-Maxis deal of Rs 35 billion and INX Media case involving Rs 3.05 billion. It was during his tenure as finance minister in the UPA-1 regime that FIPB clearance was granted to the two ventures in which alleged irregularities have been found.

In the INX Media case, the CBI had registered an FIR on May 15, 2017, against alleged irregularities in the FIPB clearance to INX Media for receiving overseas funds to the tune of Rs 3.05 billion in 2007 when Chidambaram was finance minister.

Chidambaram's son Karti Chidambaram was also arrested in the matter for allegedly receiving funds to the tune of Rs 1 million in the case.

The other accused in the case include then INX Media Director Indrani Mukerjea and then INX News Director Peter Mukerjea.

Full text: Govt using CBI to target my son, alleges Chidambaram post raids

Chidambaram alleged that the Modi govt was trying to muzzle his voice

Former Union minister P Chidambaram said that Tuesday’s Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) raids at his and his son, Karti Chidambaram’s, residences were an attempt by the Modi government to muzzle his voice.

While no official word has come from the CBI, sources have said that the raids were conducted in connection with the Aircel-Maxis probe, where Chidambaram’s role as then finance minister in granting Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) approval to the deal has been called into question. Recently, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) had also searched Chidambaram’s house.

In his official statement regarding the Tuesday morning raids, Chidambaram said that the Modi government was using the CBI and other agencies to target his son. The Congress leader alleged that the government was trying to silence his voice and stop him from writing against its policies and actions.

“FIPB approval is granted in hundreds of cases,” the statement said, adding, “Every case was processed according to law and approval was granted or refused in accordance with the recommendations of the FIPB consisting of five secretaries to the Government of India.”

Below is the full text of his official statement:
FIPB approval is granted in hundreds of cases. The five Secretaries who constitute the FIPB, the officials of the FIPB Secretariat and the competent authority in each case are the public officials. There is no allegation against any of them. There is no allegation against me.

Every case was processed according to law and approval was granted or refused in accordance with the recommendations of the FIBP consisting of five Secretaries to the Government of India.

The government, using the CBI and other agencies, is targeting my son and his friends. The government’s aim is to silence my voice and stop me from writing, as it has tried to do in the cases of leaders of Opposition parties, journalists, columnists, NGOs and civil society organizations. All I will say is, I shall continue to speak and write. |READMORE…

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