Chidambaram says his plea challenging CBI custody not listed today

Ex-finance minister Palaniappan Chidambaram (C in white shirt with glasses) leaves a court in New Delhi

Former Finance minister P Chidambaram has told the Supreme Court that his plea challenging the trial court order remanding him to four days judicial custody has not been listed for Monday, despite the top court's direction.

Defence counsel and senior advocate Kapil Sibal told a bench headed by Justice R. Banumathi that despite the last Supreme Court order, his client's petition challenging trial court remand order was not listed for Monday.

Justice Banumathi said the petition will be listed once the apex court registry gets the Chief Justice's order in this regard. "The registry has some difficulties and they have to take orders from the Chief Justice," the bench said.

Solicitor General Tushar Mehta said he had no objection to the plea being heard. The Delhi High Court had on August 20 rejected Chidambaram's anticipatory bail plea in the INX media case.

On August 21, he moved the Supreme Court and challenged Delhi High Court order but could not get an urgent hearing on the plea. Chidambaram was arrested on Wednesday night and presented before a trial court, which remanded him to the custody of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) till August 26.

The Enforcement Directorate and the CBI are probing how Chidambaram's son Karti managed to get Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) clearance in 2007, when his father was the Finance minister.

Karti was arrested on February 28, 2018 by the CBI for allegedly accepting money to facilitate the FIPB clearance to INX Media. He was later granted bail. His chartered accountant, S.Bhaskararaman, was also arrested and released on bail later.

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