Hours after the Delhi High Court refused former union finance minister P Chidambaram to grant any protection from arrest in the INX Media case, the CBI issued a notice to him asking him to appear before the investigation officer "within two hours", after failing to find him at his residence.
At around 6.30 pm, a team of CBI officers landed at his posh Jor Bagh residence in New Delhi to locate him, officials said.
The CBI team left the premises after confirming that Chidambaram was not present at the address, they said.
The team, which had some superintendent of police-rank officials, did not make clear if they had gone to his residence to arrest him for alleged irregularities in foreign investment clearance to INX Media during his tenure as finance minister.
The officials returned to the CBI headquarters where they got into a huddle with senior officers of the agency to decide the future course of action, the officials said.
Team of officials returned to his residence and pasted a notice asking Chidambaram to appear before R Parthasarthy, CBI Deputy SP, who is probing the case to record his statement under Section 161 of the CrPC.
Sources told PTI that the notice has also been sent to his email ID. However, it could not be immediately ascertained when the notice was issued to Chidambaram, a senior Congress leader.
Chidambaram is likely to seek protection from arrest from the Supreme Court on August 21 morning.
The Delhi High Court on Tuesday refused to grant any protection to Chidambaram from arrest by the CBI and the Enforcement Directorate.
He failed to get an audience from Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi on Tuesday for urgent hearing of his appeal in the Supreme Court against the Delhi High Court order dismissing his anticipatory bail plea.
A team of lawyers led by senior advocate and Chidambaram's party colleague Kapil Sibal was told by the registrar (judicial) to mention the petition on Wednesday morning in the apex court.
The CBI had registered an FIR on May 15, 2017, alleging irregularities in the Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) clearance granted to the 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.
Nalini, Karti Chidambaram reach CBI Headquarters in New Delhi to meet P Chidambaram, CNN News18 has reported.
A Delhi Court Friday refused to adjourn the Aircel-Maxis case against former Union finance minister P Chidambaram and his son Karti on the pleas by CBI and ED, which sought the adjournment saying that another case pertaining to INX Media involving them was pending before the Supreme Court.
The court then reserved order on Chidambarams anticipatory bail application for September 3, extending the interim protection from arrest to them till then.
It, however, gave liberty to CBI and ED to argue anytime before that date.
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Law catching up with Sonia Gandhi’s courtier seems to have had a sobering effect on other Congress leaders, including Chidambaram’s lawyer, who like a canary, are suddenly singing praises of Prime Minister Modi...
— Amit Malviya (@amitmalviya) August 23, 2019
The hearing witnessed heated exchange of words between prosecution counsel and Solicitor General Tushar Mehta and senior advocate and Chidambaram's party colleagues Kapil Sibal and Abhishek Singhvi. (PTI)
The Supreme Court was hearing two separate petitions today filed by P Chidambaram, challenging the Delhi High Court August 20 verdict by which his anticipatory bail was dismissed in the cases registered by both the agencies -- CBI and ED.
In the CBI case, a special court on August 22 sent Chidambaram for custodial interrogation after he was arrested on the night of August 21.
Solicitor General Tushar Mehta said that Chidambaram cannot be arrested in the ED case till Monday as he is already in the custody of the CBI and a person cannot be arrested simultaneously by two agencies. (PTI)
Both CBI and Enforcement Directorate matters to be heard again on Monday (August 26) in Supreme Court.
Supreme Court grants interim protection from arrest to former Union Minister P Chidambaram till August 26 in connection with INX media case probed by Enforcement Directorate. He is in CBI custody till August 26. (ANI)
We have electronic evidence, emails exchanges to trace route of illicit, illegal transfer or money. Shell companies were created by those having close connection with P Chidambaram and the money was laundered through these companies. Some of these companies are based in abroad. I will satisfy the conscience of this court. (CNN News18)
Delhi HC judgment is verbatim of what is in the ED's note. Comma for comma, full stop for full stop. Everything is a copy, so the note becomes the basis of denying bail to Chidambaram. (ANI)
Chidambaram's fundamental right to access to justice has been frustrated by the way in which the plea against Delhi HC verdict was not heard despite moving the SC on time. (ANI)