Just hours after the Supreme Court accepted former finance minister P. Chidambaram's request not to send him to Tihar jail, a Delhi court extended his CBI custody by another day in the INX Media corruption case.
Special Judge Ajay Kumar Kuhar will now hear Congress veteran's interim bail plea on Tuesday.
Chidambaram, 73, was produced before the court on the expiry of his three-day CBI custody which was granted on August 30.
The CBI opposed any relief to Chidambaram in the case and sought an extension of his custodial interrogation by one day.
He was produced in the court where senior advocate Kapil Sibal moved an interim bail application of Chidambaram, who was arrested on the night of August 21.
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Solicitor General Tushar Mehta sought time to reply to Chidambaram's interim bail plea and said that notice be issued to CBI as it is statutorily required.
"All citizens have to be treated equally," Mehta said, adding that personal liberty of every citizen is equal.
Earlier, the top court was conducting the hearing on a petition filed by Chidambaram against his CBI custody.
Sibal said Chidambaram was 74 years old and therefore must be placed under house arrest and not sent to Tihar.
Sibal told a bench headed by Justice R Banumathi: "I am begging you. Please don't do this. Protect him till you hear this case. He shouldn't be sent to Tihar.
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At this, Sibal made fervent pleas, including a proposal to place Chidambaram under house arrest, despite serious objections by the Centre. "We absolutely oppose this house arrest proposal... this procedure is not known to the law, and it will set a wrong precedent," Additional Solicitor General K.M. Natrajan said.
As Sibal insisted that his plea for any relief will be definitely rejected by the trial court, the judge said that he cannot move the top court, jumping the jurisdiction of the trial court and the high court to seek relief on custody. The Centre's counsel contested Sibal's argument, saying that the application cannot be maintained.
The top court also asked Chidambaram to approach the concerned court for interim protection against the arrest, adding if the trial court rejects his bail plea, then he will remain in the CBI custody till September 7.
The top court has also asked the CBI to file a response to Chidambaram's plea challenging non-bailable warrant issued against him and remand orders of the trial court.
The CBI had arrested Chidambaram from his residence in the INX media case over a week ago, and the Congress veteran has been in the agency custody ever since.
(With inputs from agencies)
