CBI again lands at Chidambaram’s house; lawyer against action

New Delhi, August 21

The CBI on Wednesday continued its efforts to locate P Chidambaram even as the former Union finance minister’s legal team asked the agency not to take any coercive action against him as his petition is to be mentioned in the Supreme Court.

A team of officials went to Chidambaram’s Jor Bagh residence on Wednesday morning looking for him but had to return as he was not present there, officials said.

The CBI efforts to locate Chidambaram once again came a couple of hours before his Special Leave Petition is to be mentioned in the Supreme Court.

After the Delhi High Court refused to grant protection from arrest to the former finance minister in the INX media case, the CBI issued a notice to him on Tuesday, asking him to appear before the investigation officer within two hours, after failing to find him at his residence.

In response, the legal team of Chidambaram said the notice did not mention the specific provision of law under which he was summoned and asked not to take any coercive action against him till his petition came up for hearing in the Supreme Court on Wednesday morning.

Arshdeep Khurana, lawyer for Chidambaram, stated that his client had come to know “through reports” that he had been asked to be present before the investigation officer in the INX media case.

“I am instructed to state that your notice fails to mention the provision of law under which my client has been issued a notice at midnight calling upon him to appear at a short notice of two hours. Furthermore, kindly note that my client is exercising the rights available to him in law and had approached the Supreme Court on August 20 seeking urgent reliefs in respect of the order dated August 20 dismissing his anticipatory bail application no 1316/2018 in the captioned FIR,” Khurana responded.

It stated, “On moving the Supreme Court at 4.30 pm on August 20, he has been permitted by the Supreme Court to mention the urgent Special Leave Petition against the above said order before the Supreme Court at 10.30 am on August 21.

“I, therefore, request you not to take any coercive action against my client till then and await the above-mentioned hearing at 10.30 am on August 21.”

A team of CBI officers had landed at Chidambaram’s posh Jor Bagh residence here to locate him, officials said.

The CBI team left the premises after confirming that he 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 the Union finance minister.

A team of officials returned to Chidambaram’s residence, 115-A, Jor Bagh, and pasted a notice asking him to appear before R Parthasarthy, CBI DSP, probing the case.

Such summons is normally issued under Section 161 of the CrPC. However, the notice pasted at his residence did not mention the specific provision. Chidambaram is likely to seek protection from the arrest from the Supreme Court.

The Delhi High Court had on Tuesday refused to grant any protection to Chidambaram from arrest by the CBI and the Enforcement Directorate.

He had failed to get an audience from Chief Justice 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 the finance minister.

Thereafter, the ED lodged a money laundering case in this regard in 2018. PTI