Denouement near?
The corrupt former Finance Minister P Chidambaram’s tricks to evade arrest in the INX Media bribery case seems to be coming to an end after Friday. The Delhi High Court has reserved for orders on his petition for anticipatory bail. Sensing danger, soon after his son Karti’s arrest on February 28, 2018, Chidambaram obtained Interim Protection from Arrest from the Delhi High Court and has been blocking the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the Enforcement Directorate (ED) for the past 10 months with the legal strategies, aided by ace lawyers and his party colleagues Kapil Sibal and Abhishek Singhvi.
With CBI and ED reiterating their need to arrest the “evasive and lying” Chidambaram, Justice Sunil Gaur has reserved for Orders, after hearing 10 month-long arguments stretched by the tainted former Minister’s battery of lawyers.
INX Media: An Open and Shut case
INX Media case is an open and shut case. In a nutshell it goes like this: In 2007, the INX Media, then owned by the now jailed-for-murder accused couple Indrani and Peter Mukherjea got a Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) clearance for just Rs.5 crores. But they illegally accepted Rs.305 crores from foreign firms and were caught by the Income Tax (IT) department. The tax sleuths fined husband and wife and summoned them in 2008. For saving them from IT Department, Indrani and Peter met Karti and Chidambaram and paid a bribe of around Rs.5 crores through Karti’s firms Advantage Strategic Consulting Private Limited and Chess Management Consulting Private Limited, which were already caught in the Aircel-Maxis Scam bribe money routing. After receiving the bribe by the son, the father swung into action and gave illegal post facto clearance to INX Media and saved them from Income Tax Department’s actions.
The INX Media case is an offshoot of Aircel-Maxis scam probes. ED’s Joint Director Rajeshwar Singh unearthed the INX Media FIPB clearance violations and other similar violations while raiding Karti’s home and companies in December 2015[1]. Rajeshwar Singh seized all computers and hard discs of Karti’s firms and exposed the Chidambaram family’s illegal assets in 14 countries and 21 foreign banks.
Subsequently, a First Information Report (FIR) was registered by the CBI in INX Media case in May 2017 and Karti was arrested in a surprise move on February 28, 2018. Soon after, Chidambaram rushed to the High Court and obtained Interim Protection from arrest and the case was lagging for 10 months, due to the all-out legal strategies of Chidambaram.
The CBI and ED Friday asserted before the Delhi High Court that custodial interrogation of Congress leader and former Union minister P Chidambaram was required in the INX Media case as he was evasive in giving answers during questioning. The two probe agencies contended that Chidambaram, during whose tenure as finance minister FIPB clearance was granted to a media group for receiving overseas funds of Rs.305 crores in 2007, gave wrong answers and did not disclose the material that he should have knowledge of. They said they required his custodial interrogation which will be qualitatively different.
Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, representing CBI and ED, vehemently opposed the Congress leader’s anticipatory bail plea and argued that the agencies were seeking to exercise their statutory rights of arresting him, producing before the court concerned and taking him on police remand to interrogate him. “He is evasive and the answers are factually incorrect. I have made a strong case. For ends of justice, he needs to be examined in custody,” he said.
Senior advocate Kapil Sibal, appearing for Chidambaram, said the former minister was called for questioning by the CBI only once in June 2018 and he was not even named as an accused in the FIR.
He further said that apparently there are five accused in the case and four of them — Karti Chidambaram, Bhaskar Raman (Chidambaram’s family Chartered Accountant), Indrani and Peter Mukerjea — are on bail in this case.
ED has already attached Rs.54 crores worth (market value expected to be more than Rs.300 crores) properties of Karti and his firms in New Delhi, Ooty, London and Spain in INX Media case[2].
Aircel-Maxis
Meanwhile, in Aircel-Maxis case, the 2G Court Judge OP Saini has not yet decided on similar protection from arrest given to Chidambaram and son Karti. Many in legal circles are wondering how a trial judge gave such protection, within days of Supreme Court in March 2018 giving stern directions to the CBI and ED to finish the probe in Aircel-Maxis case within six months. Both agencies have already filed charge sheets in this case.
The CBI and ED are expected to file their charge sheets in the INX Media soon, expecting they would get a chance for custodial interrogation of the tainted former Finance Minister Chidambaram. Hope agencies will press into action immediately after the Delhi High Court’s Order, which is reserved on Friday.
References:
[1] ED searches Chidambaram son’s office in Chennai – Dec 17, 2015, Indian Express
[2] ED attaches Rs.54 crores worth assets of Karti Chidambaram in the INX Media bribery case – Oct 11, 2018, PGurus.com
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THE RESURRECTION OF THE EVIL REGIME OF CONGRESS WOULD BE THE FINAL DOOMSDAY FOR INDIA. Indians should take it upon themselves to go down to the ground and contribute to the demise of Congress and its dirty sums like PC from being able to raise even their slogans ever.
See NDTV press release by Former FM Mr. P.C., today dated January 27th, 2019 responding to the Tweet by Mr. Arun Jaitley on Leave from abroad. Mr. P. Chidambaram is truly GUTSY, Confident and Comfortable to Speak Collegially with his Counterpart – Agreeing and Challenging Arun Jaitley. We have one version from NDTV while TOI, Republic World, P. Gurus paint another picture. Who is right and who is Just?
There are 100 days to build a few large prisons, in the hopeful outcome that BJP will win. The truth shouldnot be lost in the analysis and discussions. The corrupt rich , masquerading as lawyers and politicians need to put behind bars. Only the best 5 star prisons will be fit for purpose.
Nehru-Gandhi’s with PC, Kapil Sibal, Abhisekh Manu Singhvi,Ahmed Patel and Ghulam Nabi Azad can rule the whole world! US President Trump is facing issues with Dems- Speaker Nany Pelosi and Chuck Schumer to build much needed southern WALL. Above said “brains” can fix it, in a jiffy !!
Both Hasmukh Adhia [as Principal Secretary, Finance] and Rakesh Asthana [Joint Director, CBI] were brought to the Finance Ministry from the Gujarat IAS and IPSCadres in to the Central Administration in Delhi. This created a lot of flutter within both the FM and the CBI with existing top echelons like Mr. Alok Verma and other confidantes of P.Chidambaram who were in fact working for him. An upright officer in the ED, Mr. Rajeshwar Singh, was asked to go on leave midway when the Aircel Maxis case was proceeding swiftly. The current confusion caused in the CBI, it appears, is an attempt to deflect, stall and delay the key Corruption case with regard to P.C. to move at snail speed in the court. Even if the prosecution prepares water tight case, we do not know how the Corrupt/Chamchas/Commission Agents would tackle this matter at the level of the judiciary besides tampering with/erasing evidence. We need some CLARITY to know the specific roles played by Arun Jaitley, Alok Verma, Rakesh Asthana, Rajeshwar Singh, Hasmukh Adhia with regard to P. Chidambaram’s Case File movement from the FM, CBI/ED/IT Department. Who are the ones contributing to the delays?
We need crystal clear clarity regarding the specific roles [both for and against] played by the TOP Bureaucrats in the Finance Ministry [FM], CBI, ED, IT, SEBI, RBI who are Dealing with/investigating the Aircel-Maxis, INX media, FIPB Clearance Files. Arun Jaitley from his hospital bed in USA is releasing quick press statements, swift tweets on Bank CEO fraud case but TOTALLY keeping MUM on the high profile Past FM case file, pending for over five years or even more, pointing his lapses and failure to deliver his poll promise. Please Clarify the specific roles played by Arun Jaitley, Hasmukh Adhia, Alok Verma, Rakesh Asthana, Rajeshwar Singh. Who are those within the FM/ED/CBI/IT causing delays or stalling the cases to move forward in the court. Is it Modi’s plan to delay the National Herald/INX/Aicel-Maxis cases, to move somewhat slowly so everything could come
out in April 2019? It is going to cost a major debacle for Modi and Arun Jaitley duo in 2019.
Yesterday, 1/25/2019 , Anand Sharma of congress threatened CBI and ED officers of revenge, when they come to power after 100 days (sensing P Chidambaram’s arrest- anytime?). Sambit Patra of BJP objected to Sharma’s hidden intimidation of CBI officers. What is going on ? Sharma and Lutyens and all congress gang
are fooling junta to win next election and then….take action….
But, NaMo will be elected PM and Amit Shah and BJP wins? Then, all corrupt ministers can be prosecuted and go to jails????? Of course, congress ministers and supporters looted India and they can grease all and hire goondas to block arrests. But, in Delhi….. anything goes. Swamps must be drained out…. mr. Sharma ji and Kharge ji
At any cost p c should be arrested and punished and all his property s to be taken by government and auctioned in public. The money will be used for poor indians
In response to above comment, Team P Gurus you must come clear about the two CBI directors. According to you Asthana is corrupt and Verma is honest. Now we see that Verma is corrupt and has been sacked. As one of your avid readers, i am really confused. You must put you views whether he is wrongly victimized. or he is really corrupt and you not aware of this fact.
Well said
Chidambaram is the most hardcore cut-throat and crooked character in the sub continent. He will not be touched by any CBI or ED or IT Depat because he has jam-packed the entire departments with perosns handpicked by him. What happened to the election petition filed by Raja Shanmughan in Madras High Court in 2009? Though it is more than ten years, Chidambaram has succeeded in preventing the file from making any progress. The verdict may not come even in 20150 because that is the influence wielded by Chidambaram.
Have been hearing this for so long. …..I only hope BJP doesn’t lose in 2019, and PC once again becomes the FM!
Your efforts in exposing PC and company appreciated . But at the same you don’t reveal everything, though you may know. You have said that CBI chief removed from post is honest, but you are concealing the facts and not letting your readers know, you are silent on the issue.