'It's being done just to divert attention from issue of Article 370'

Karti Chidambaram: ED has summoned him a number of times and he has appeared every time. We will go to the court, we will be vindicated eventually. Pic/ANI

Chennai: P Chidambaram's son Karti Chidambaram stated on Thursday that his father's arrest by CBI on Wednesday night in connection with INX Media case is being done just to divert attention from the issue of Article 370. He stated, "It (arrest of P Chidambaram by CBI) is being done just to divert attention from the issue of Article 370. This whole thing is politically trumped-up. There are no merits whatsoever. These are apparently about alleged events which took place in 2008 for which an FIR was filed in 2017."

"I have been raided four times. I have been summoned 20 times. I have appeared for at least 10-12 hours in each of the summons. I was also the guest of the CBI for 11 days. Everybody who is even remotely associated with me has been summoned and extensively questioned, and still, we don't have a charge-sheet. There is no case. I have absolutely no link with INX Media," he added.

Also read: Chidambaram makes dramatic appearance at Congress party headquarters

On the arrest of Former Finance Minister P Chidambaram, Karti added, "This is like a staged reality show to have all these dramatic visuals on television. There is no reason for this kind of drama... It's not done in an honest investigation... They are still in an FIR stage. There is no charge-sheet for an event which apparently happened in 2008. Nearly eleven years after you still can't have a charge-sheet for an event, your FIR was filed in 2017." According to the news agency, ANI, Karti claimed that the officials who are investigating the case "clearly know that there is no case, but nobody has the courage to actually write in the file that there is no case, let's close."

He also added," They will just keep the pot boiling and can have a never-ending investigation. In India, unfortunately, there is no time limit to close an investigation. You can keep the investigation open forever and that's a great tool for harassment. My father has appeared for every summon which is being served upon."

Also Read: P Chidambaram taken into custody, moved to CBI headquarters

According to the news agency, when asked Karti Chidambaram, son of Former Finance Minister P Chidambaram's son about the Delhi High Court's August 20 order, he stated, "If you are going to rely on the judgment of August 20, 2019, I would only respectfully say that you must contrast it with the judgment of March 23, 2018, of Justice RS Garg of the Delhi High Court. Please read that judgment. It's on the same case and the same facts. It pertains to me. We will go through the legal process. I have full faith in the judiciary. I am very glad that the entire Congress party is with us. I want to particularly thank Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra for coming out in our support. We will win this politically and legally together."

P Chidambaram's son, the Former Finance Minister on Wednesday night was arrested in the INX Media case after he failed to get relief from the Supreme Court over ED and CBI's pursuit of him as the matter was not heard by the court despite repeated efforts of his lawyers. After the arrest from his Jor Bagh residence by the CBI, P Chidambaram, (73), was taken to headquarters of the probe agency and he is likely to be produced on Thursday before a CBI court at the Rouse Avenue.

Also Read: Karti Chidambaram: Drama enacted for 'voyeuristic pleasure of some'

With inputs from ANI

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