[dropcap]S[/dropcap]UPREME Court on Thursday extended the interim protection granted to former Finance Minister and Congress leader P Chidambaram earlier this week in INX Media case registered by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) till September 5 when it will pass the order on his anticipatory bail plea.
The court reserved its order over the plea filed by Chidambaram for anticipatory bail, saying it will be delivered by the bench of Justices R Banumathi and AS Bopanna on September 5.
The senior Congress leader and Rajya Sabha member was remanded to CBI custody by the Special CBI Judge after he was taken into custody from his Delhi residence on August 21.
Noting that the plea had become infructuous, the top court on August 26 had rejected his special leave petition challenging Delhi High Court order in which protection from the CBI arrest was denied to him. However, the court had granted him interim protection from arrest by the ED.
On the same day, the Special CBI Court at Rouse Avenue Court Complex had extended his custody till August 30.
Alleging irregularities in Foreign Investment Promotion Board clearance granted to INX Media group for receiving overseas funds of Rs 305 crore in 2007 during his tenure as Union Finance Minister, the CBI had lodged an FIR on May 15, 2017. Thereafter, the ED lodged a money laundering case. Chidambaram and his son Karti Chidambaram, according to the charge sheet, received illegal gratification from INX Media owners, Peter and Indrani Mukherjea for the clearance.
