P Chidambaram's ED custody extended by Delhi court till October 30

In connection with the alleged money laundering accusations related to the INX media case, Former Union Minister P Chidambaram's Enforcement Directorate (ED) remand has been extended till October 30 by a Delhi court on Thursday.

'Chidambaram suffers acute stomach pain'

Special judge Ajay Kumar Kuhar has extended the custody even after Chidambaram's lawyer and senior Congress leader Kapil Sibal briefed the court of Chidambaram's medical condition that he has been suffering from acute stomach ache and sought a 2-day interim bail for treatment in Hyderabad. Sibal elaborated that his client was taken to All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) twice and appended that he should be granted bail so that Chidambaram could be taken to Hyderabad to see the doctor who knows his medical history. Sibal cited that the doctors in Delhi have not been able to diagnose the illness, yet the judge asserted that Chidambaram should be taken to AIIMS immediately in case of any medical complication. The other conditions of his custody remain the same, which includes the provision of home-cooked food.

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Discrepancies in the statements

The probe agency had sought 7-day custodial interrogation of the 74-year old senior Congress leader. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for ED had opposed the bail plea citing discrepancies in the statements of witnesses, co-conspirators and Chidambaram. Therefore, he demanded the extension of custody so Chidambaram could be confronted with witnesses and other pieces of evidence.

READ | INX Media Case: HC Seeks ED Response On Chidambaram's Bail Plea

The Solicitor General told the court that Chidambaram was confronted with documentary evidence including email exchanges for laundering the proceeds of crime. Mehta alleged Chidambaram answered 65 questions on the first day at a substantial pace which got slowed down when he was confronted with the documents. Hence, Mehta sought the extension of custody to confront Chidambaram with the witnesses. On the contrary, Sibal said there is no basis for further remand and the agency could have easily confronted Chidambaram with the witnesses all these days.

The judge extended the custody but quizzed the ED on their pace of the investigation. The judge said that the agency wouldn't be able to complete the investigation even after 50 days, considering the slow pace of the investigation.

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