Amid high-voltage drama, the CBI on Wednesday arrested former finance minister P. Chidambaram from his Jor Bagh residence in Delhi in the high-profile INX Media case. The central agency made the arrest soon after the senior Congress leader reached home after making a dramatic appearance at the AICC headquarters and addressing a press meet.
High drama unfolded after a team of over 30 CBI sleuths, accompanied by a team of Delhi police, reached Chidambaram's residence. TV visuals showed the CBI officials scaling the boundary wall to gain entry into his house as the front gate remained closed. A little later, a team of the Enforcement Directorate (ED) also reached his residence.
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Tension prevailed outside Chidambaram's house after a section of his supporters and party workers staged protest against his arrest and tried to block the CBI's car. The veteran leader has been brought to the agency headquarters and will be produced before a special CBI court on Thursday.
The 73-year-old leader, who went 'missing' for over 24 hours after the Delhi High Court rejected his bail plea on Tuesday, turned up at the party headquarters on Wednesday evening.
The CBI and the ED had issued a look out notice against Chidambaram after his whereabouts remained unknown on Wednesday. The agencies tightened the noose on him after the high court on Tuesday rejected his plea seeking anticipatory bail in the case.
The agencies got a free hand to arrest Chidambaram after he failed to get a legal reprieve on Wednesday as the Supreme Court refused an urgent hearing on his plea for advance bail. The top court has listed the case to be heard on Friday.
Earlier, addressing a press conference at the party office, Chidambaram, who is accused of money laundering and getting kickbacks in the INX media case, denied that he was hiding from the law.
The Congress leader asked the probe agencies to "respect" the law and wait till Friday when the Supreme Court hears his bail plea. He also put up a strong defence of himself and his family members, saying none of them has been accused of any offence by the probe agencies.
Later Chidambaram reached his Jor Bagh residence along with fellow Congress leaders and lawyers Kapil Sibal and Abhishek Manu Singhvi.
CBI had registered an FIR on May 15, 2017 alleging irregularities in the Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) clearance granted to the INX Media group for receiving overseas funds of Rs 305 crore in 2007 during Chidambaram's tenure as finance minister.
Thereafter, the ED in 2018 lodged the money laundering case in this regard.
Chidambaram's role had come under the scanner of various investigating agencies in the Rs 3,500-crore Aircel-Maxis deal and the INX Media case involving Rs 305 crore.
It was during his tenure as finance minister in the UPA-I government that clearances from the Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) were given to the two ventures.