New Delhi: "5 percent, 5 percent, 5 percent. We can still say the GDP is growing at the fastest rate," P Chidambaram quipped sarcastically, before being escorted out of a Special CBI court here to be taken back to the agency's headquarters in Delhi.
Speaking to the Millennium Post, the former Finance Minister's first remarks since the numbers on the economic slowdown were published, came as a Delhi court extended his CBI custody by two days till September 5, in connection with the INX Media case.
Special judge Ajay Kumar Kuhar also renotified Chidambaram's interim bail plea, which was to be heard on Tuesday, to be listed for hearing on September 5.
Senior advocate Dayan Krishnan, appearing for Chidambaram, also requested the court to allow his client to meet his family for five minutes inside the court, permission for which was duly accorded.
In accordance with developments in the Apex court earlier on Tuesday, Solicitor-General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the Central Bureau of Investigation sought two more days of police remand, which was granted.
The special court's decision came after the Supreme Court of India had earlier in the day ordered Chidambaram's CBI custody to be extended till Thursday while putting on record that his team would not pursue the interim bail plea in the lower court till then.
An Apex court bench of justices R Banumathi and AS Bopanna was hearing Chidambaram's plea challenging the lower court's decision to issue a non-bailable warrant for his arrest and his subsequent police remand when the court noted that it was not inclined to hear this matter on Tuesday, directing the trial court to maintain the status quo of CBI custody till September 5, when it will hear the matter again.
This order came after SG Mehta had told the Apex court bench on Tuesday that the CBI did not require Chidambaram's police remand to be extended anymore and Chidambaram's lawyers argued for maintaining status quo while recording a statement that they would not pursue the interim bail plea in the lower court till Thursday.
The special CBI court was thrown into confusion on Monday when the Supreme Court had passed a similar order.
Senior advocate Kapil Sibal and SG Mehta were arguing about the interpretation of the Apex court order as no one had a copy of it, with Sibal making a case that the trial court decide on the interim bail plea on Monday itself and Mehta seeking 10 days' time to respond to the plea.
When the order copy was made available, Special judge Kuhar had issued a notice to the CBI to respond to Chidambaram's bail plea on Tuesday and listed the matter for hearing then.
Tomorrow will now prove to be an important day as the Supreme Court will pronounce the order on Chidambaram's plea seeking protection from ED's arrest in the INX Media case. And on the same day, a special court will also decide on the anticipatory bail pleas of Chidambaram and Karti in the Aircel Maxis case.