Karti Chidambaram sent to 13-day custody; seeks Delhi HC's help; highlights

Earlier in the day, the Delhi High Court granted interim relief to Karti Chidambaram in connection with the case

Karti Chidambaram, the son of senior Congress leader P Chidambaram, has moved the Delhi High Court seeking bail in connection with the INX media case.

The high court will hear his petition on March 13.

Currently, he has been sent to judicial custody till March 25 in the INX Media Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) clearance case.

Karti was produced on expiry of his three-day police remand before special judge Sunil Rana who sent him to Tihar Jail, after the CBI, in whose custody he was quizzed continuously for 12 days since his arrest on February 28 from Chennai, said he was no longer required for further custodial interrogation.

"In view of the fact that no more police custody remand of accused is sought by CBI, accused Karti Chidambaram is remanded to judicial custody. He be produced on March 24," the special judge said.

The court, which refused Karti's plea for a separate cell in the jail in view of threat perception as during his father's tenure as Union Home Minister several terrorists were kept in Tihar jail, said the social status of the Chidambaram family cannot be ignored but he cannot be treated differently from the other accused persons.

"The apprehension raised by the senior counsel for accused cannot be ignored keeping in view the social status of accused and his family, more specifically, his father, who is a former union minister.

"However, only keeping in view the fact of social status of accused and his father, he cannot be treated different from other accused persons and cannot be allowed to be kept in separate prison. However, lock up in-charge and jail superintendent are directed to provide and ensure proper security and safety to accused during judicial custody, as per rules," the court said.

Here are the top 10 developments around Karti Chidambaram's arrest:

1. Karti Chidambaram denied special cell in Tihar

The court refused Karti's plea for a separate cell in the jail in view of threat perception as during his father's tenure as Union Home Minister several terrorists were kept in Tihar jail, said the social status of the Chidambaram family cannot be ignored but he cannot be treated differently from the other accused persons.

"The apprehension raised by the senior counsel for accused cannot be ignored keeping in view the social status of accused and his family, more specifically, his father, who is a former union minister. The court allowed Karti to carry spectacles and medicines as per prescription subject to examination and approval by the jail doctor, but denied his request to carry toiletries, books, clothes and home food.

2. Meanwhile, Karti's chartered accountant S Bhaskararaman, who is currently in jail in a case filed by the Enforcement Directorate (ED), has moved the court for anticipatory bail in the CBI case of INX Media. The court is likely to take up Bhaskararaman's plea later today.

3. Karti alleges 'inhuman treatment' in CBI custody

Karti Chidambaram on Friday told a Delhi court that the CBI was meting out inhuman treatment" to him in its custody which caused his blood pressure to shoot up.

The accusations were made by Karti when he was produced before special judge Sunil Rana who directed the CBI sleuths to "do the needful, as per rules".

4. HC stops Karti's counsel from making remarks on Indrani's statement

The Delhi High Court stopped Karti Chidambaram's counsel from making any remarks on Indrani Mukerjea, former director of INX Media who is in jail in connection with the killing of her daughter Sheena Bora.

A bench of justices S Muralidhar and I S Mehta told Karti's counsel "Don't go into all this" when he asked how could investigating agencies, the CBI and the ED, even rely on the statement of Mukherjea who herself is in jail in connection with her daughter's killing.

5. CBI to file reply on Karti's bail plea on Mar 14

CBI to file its reply on bail plea of Karti Chidambaram, son of former Finance Minister P. Chidambaram on March 14 in connection with the INX media money laundering case.

The CBI has moved a plea for custody of Karti's chartered accountant S Bhaskararaman for confrontation between the two and has also filed another application seeking permissions to produce Indrani and Peter Mukerjea for confrontation and identification of some locations in Delhi.

Meanwhile, Karti 's counsel Abhishek Manu Singhvi told media, "We had two matters today. One was the ED matter, court has given protection till 20th March. Our bail application is now listed for March 15.

6.  Delhi HC taketh Karti away, giveth his CA:

Even as it gave an interim relief to Karti Chidambaram, the Delhi High Court extended until March 22 the judicial custody of his chartered accountant, S Bhaskararaman, who had been arrested by the Enforcement Directorate in the INX Media case.

Karti's CA had sought bail, saying he was not required for custodial inquiry. so there was no reason why he should be kept in custody.

Bhaskararaman had been imprisoned on February 26 after being quizzed by the Enforcement Directorate (ED), which had nabbed him on February 16 from a five-star hotel New Delhi.

The ED's special public prosecutor Nitesh Rana had earlier told the court that Karti's accountant had been assisting him to manage his "ill-gotten wealth" in India and abroad.

7. SC allows Karti Chidambaram to withdraw plea

The Supreme Court on Thursday gave Karti Chidambaram the go-ahead to proceed to the Delhi High Court with his plea seeking an immunity against arrest.

A Bench headed by Chief Justice Dipak Misra also allowed Karti to withdraw his plea related to the INX Media money laundering case pending with the Supreme Court.

Karti Chidambaram approached the SC requesting it to declare that the Enforcement Directorate had no jurisdiction to conduct any probe on matters not related to the allegations in the FIR filed by CBI on May 15, 2017.

8. Green signal to Karti Chidambaram will set a bad precedent, ED tells SC

The ED said allowing Karti Chidambaram, son of senior Congress leader P Chidambaram, to approach the high court in the money laundering case arising out of the INX Media graft case, would set a "bad precedent" for others.

9. Ready for Narco test on Karti: Gujarat govt

The Vijay Rupani-led Gujarat government said that narco analysis Karti Chidambaram could be conducted at the Forensic Sciences Laboratory (FSL) in his state, provided the Modi government wished so.

Earlier, the CBI had approached a court in Delhi seeking a narco-analysis test on Karti to ascertain certain facts in the INX Media case.

10. P Chidambaram may be quizzed

Former finance minister P Chidambaram could also be called by CBI for questioning, several reports had said earlier, quoting officials of the investigating agency.

Karti not disclosing his mobile phone password, complains CBI

Earlier, the CBI had sought an extension of Karti's judicial custody in light of "new revelations". A further custodial interrogation was necessary to confront him with "new facts", it had said. Though there was a "substantial progress" in the INX Media case, the junior Chidambaram "had not been cooperating" and not disclosing passwords to his phones, the CBI had complained.