No SC relief for Karti; CBI custody extended by 3 days

NEW DELHI: P Chidambaram, senior Congress leader and former union finance minister, could be called in by the Central Bureau of Investigation for questioning, sources said on Tuesday, even as his son Karti Chidambaram was ordered by a Delhi court to spend three more days in the custody of the agency. The CBI had asked the court to extend the custody of Karti Chidambaram by nine days, saying it has "concrete credible evidence collected recently" against him in a corruption case.

Karti Chidambaram was arrested by the Central Bureau of Investigation last Wednesday in the INX Media investment case, and the agency has questioned him for five days. He has sought bail, pleading that there is no reason to hold him in custody.

"It's a ten-year-old case; I can't change files or affect the testimony of officials...Why custody? I can be questioned morning to evening," Chidambaram's lawyer Abhishek Manu Singhvi told the court on Tuesday.

The CBI countered bail, alleging that evidence has been tampered with in the case. "It is an enormous offence...it will cause serious prejudice to the probe if the further remand is not granted," the CBI's lawyer said in court.

During the lunch break earlier, Karti Chidambaram was able to briefly spend some time with his mother Nalini and father P Chidambaram who had reached the Patiala House complex minutes before Karti was brought to the court.

Both of them were also present when Karti Chidambaram was brought to the court last week. "Don't worry, I am there," the Congress leader had then told his son.

Earlier on Tuesday, the Supreme Court (SC) refused to grant Karti Chidambaram interim protection from a possible arrest by the Enforcement Directorate (ED).

The top court agreed to hear this petition and then issued a notice to the ED and the CBI on the money laundering case registered against Karti.

The SC scheduled the next hearing for March 8.