Delhi court reserves order on ED's plea to arrest Chidambaram in INX Media money laundering case
New Delhi: A Delhi court Monday reserved order on the Enforcement Directorate's plea seeking to arrest and interrogate former finance minister P Chidambaram in the INX Media money laundering case.
"I will pass orders on the applications tomorrow," special judge Ajay Kumar Kuhar said. At the outset, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the ED, told special judge Ajay Kumar Kuhar that there is a finding by the Supreme Court that custodial interrogation of Chidambaram is necessary.
Money laundering is a separate offence, Mehta said and moved an application for Chidambaram's arrest and remand.
The plea was vehemently opposed by senior advocate Kapil Sibal, appearing for Chidambaram, who said that the CBI has already taken remand and ED has no ground since the offence is same.
"CBI has already sought his custody for investigating payment and companies abroad, which the ED wants to probe now," he said. Sibal urged the court to recall its order by which Tihar authorities were directed to produce Chidambaram before it.
Chidambaram is in judicial custody till October 17 in the INX Media corruption case filed by the CBI. The ED had on Friday moved a plea seeking production warrant of the 74-year old senior Congress leader.
The probe agency said in its plea that it requires custodial interrogation of Chidambaram in the money laundering case related to INX Media.
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Assam CM flays Cong for 'not verifying' documents before making charges against his family
Sivasagar/Guwahati (PTI): Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Tuesday slammed the Congress for “not verifying” the documents based on which it brought allegations against him and his family.
Congress leader Pawan Khera had on Sunday alleged that Sarma’s wife, Riniki Bhuyan Sarma, has multiple passports and foreign property, which were not declared in the chief minister’s election affidavit.
Sarma also hit out at Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, claiming that he was “speaking like a madman” due to old age, after the latter put the onus on central agencies to probe the charges.
The CM asserted that Khera had “run away” to Hyderabad, but the Assam Police will “hunt him down even from ‘pataal’ (netherworld)”.
“‘Assam Police ko nahi jante hain.. Pataal se bhi ukhar ke le ayega’ (They don’t know the Assam Police... they will hunt him down even from the netherworld),” asserted Sarma.
An Assam Police team had earlier in the day visited the Delhi residence of Khera for questioning him in connection with the case.
“If they didn’t know the truth, why did they put it out in public? They should have asked the foreign minister first,” Sarma told reporters on the sidelines of an election campaign, when asked for his reaction to Kharge’s assertion that the Union government should probe the allegations now.
Kharge, at a presser in Guwahati on Tuesday, said all agencies are under the central government, which should probe the charges.
"They have already filed an FIR against Khera. Let them probe the matter. We will face the case as it progresses. We have sought probes by the ED or CBI into the allegations," he said.
Sarma added: “Kharge is ageing and is speaking like a ‘pagal’ (madman). You insult the people first and then say will ask the foreign minister (for verification)? Is he your ‘damad’ (son-in-law),” the chief minister said.
“I think Rahul Gandhi had given these documents to Khera, and if that is so, the case will then include Gandhi,” he added.
