NEWDELHI: The Patiala House Court in Delhi sent Karti Chidambaram to Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) custody for five days in connection with the INX Media bribery case.
Following the development, the court allowed Karti’s lawyer to meet him for one hour in the morning and one hour in the evening. Karti can have medicines on prescription, however, home food will not be permitted, as per court order.
Meanwhile, media reports have suggested that Karti has been throwing tantrums in the custody. He has reportedly asked for Swiggy or Zomato to order food while in custody.
Karti was produced before the court on expiry of one-day CBI custody amidst the presence of his parents P Chidambaram and Nalini, both senior advocates, and were seen talking to him.
Shortly after junior Chidambaram was sent to CBI custody, senior Congress leader and former finance minister P Chidambaram told his son, “Don`t worry, I am there.”
On Thursday, the senior Congress leader put his hand on his son’s shoulder with his wife Nalini Chidambaram who was already in the court looking on.
The lawyer couple were present during the arguments that went on for more than three hours before CBI Judge Sunil Rana.
The Judge also permitted the parents to talk to Karti in the presence of the investigating officer during the brief break before passing the order on giving five-day custody of Karti to CBI.
In a dramatic development in the INX Media case, former FM P Chidambaram’s son Karti was arrested by the CBI from Chennai airport on Wednesday on his return from abroad. Later in the evening, he was remanded to one-day custody of the CBI by a Delhi court.
The arrest of Karti came nine months after the CBI registered an FIR against him on charges of criminal conspiracy, cheating, accepting gratification by corrupt or illegal means, influencing public servants and criminal misconduct.
After his arrest in Chennai, CBI officials took him to Delhi by Wednesday afternoon. He was taken to the CBI headquarters and then produced before a Duty Magistrate.
Karti allegedly received Rs 3.5 crore from the Mumbai-based INX Media, now known as 9X Media, for helping it get Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) clearance in 2007 when it was run by Peter and Indrani Mukerjea, both accused in the Sheena Bora murder case.
The FIR does not mention Chidambaram senior, though it said he cleared the FIPB approval for Rs 4.62 crore FDI in the firm at an FIPB meeting on May 18, 2007.
Bureau Report
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