Karti Chidambaram produced before Delhi court

New Delhi: The CBI today produced Karti Chidamabaram, son of senior Congress leader P Chidambaram, before a Delhi court in the INX Media money laundering case, and sought his custody for six more days.

The three-day custody granted to Karti by the court ended today. The court also extended the judicial custody of Karti’s CA S Bhaskararaman, who was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate in the case, till March 22. Special CBI Judge Sunil Rana is likely to hear the bail plea of Karti Chidambaram today.

In his plea, Karti, who was arrested by the CBI at Chennai Airport on February 28, claimed that he had never attempted to influence witnesses, tamper with documentary evidence, pollute or obstruct the judicial process as was alleged by the probe agency.

Earlier, he sought bail from the court alleging that the CBI was acting at the behest of the Centre to malign the reputation of his father during whose tenure Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) clearance was granted to the INX Media group.

Karti contended that his arrest was “illegal and arbitrary” but the agency opposed his bail plea, saying the investigation was at a crucial stage and his custodial interrogation was necessary to unearth the entire conspiracy in the INX Media corruption case.

The CBI had lodged an FIR on May 15 last year alleging irregularities in the FIPB clearance to INX Media for receiving overseas funds to the tune of Rs 305 crore in 2007 when P Chidambaram was the Union finance minister.

The agency has alleged that Karti had received funds to the tune of Rs 10 lakh in the case. The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has also registered a money laundering case in the INX Media case.