P Chidambaram's judicial custody extended till Nov 27 by Delhi court

A Delhi court on Wednesday extended the judicial custody of former finance minister P Chidambaram till November 27 in the INX Media money laundering case filed by the Enforcement Directorate. Special judge Ajay Kumar Kuhar passed the order after the senior Congress leader was produced before the court through video conference due to lawyers' strike in the district courts.The ED moved an application seeking extension of custody which was allowed by the court.

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Chidambaram, who was granted bail by the Supreme Court on October 22 in the INX media corruption case, is lodged in Tihar Jail under judicial custody in the ED's money laundering case.On Friday, the high court while disposing of the interim bail plea of Chidambaram, who was suffering from Crohn's disease, had directed the Tihar Jail Superintendent to provide him clean and hygienic surroundings and also mineral water, home-cooked food and mosquito protection nets and repellants. The ED, in its response to the bail plea, said the gravity of offences allegedly committed by Chidambaram for which he was being investigated, the brazenness and impunity with which the high office of the country was misused by him for personal gain does not entitle him from seeking any relief from the court.

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Chidambaram was arrested by the CBI on August 21 in the INX Media corruption case and is currently in the ED custody in a related money laundering matter. The CBI had registered an FIR on May 15, 2017 alleging irregularities in a Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) clearance granted to the INX Media group for receiving overseas funds of Rs 305 crore in 2007, during Chidambaram's tenure as finance minister. Thereafter, the ED lodged a money-laundering case in this regard in 2017. The ED had taken him into custody on October 16 this year. 

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