INX Media: P Chidambaram's family challenges Centre to prove charges

New Delhi: As investigating agencies are battling hard to keep former Union Minister P Chidambaram in custody on charges of money-laundering, his family slammed the media on Tuesday for allegedly helping the centre by making “wild, unverified and unsubstantiated allegations” against him.

“While we understand that the motive of the government is to demonise and humiliate P Chidambaram, we are deeply saddened that the media is unable to uphold liberty against calumny. One of the fundamental principles of liberty is: Every person is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law,” Chidambaram’s family claimed in a statement.

“We challenge the government to produce a shred of evidence in support of even one undisclosed bank account, one undisclosed property or one shell company anywhere in the world,” it read.

Earlier in the day, the Supreme Court had extended the interim protection granted to senior advocate P Chidambaram from arrest in a case being probed by Enforcement Directorate.

The apex court will continue to hear tomorrow plea of P Chidambaram against Delhi HC order dismissing his anticipatory plea.

On Monday, the court had extended the protection from arrest given to Chidambaram in the INX Media money laundering case lodged by the ED till Tuesday.

Chidambaram’s counsel sought transcripts of the interrogation conducted by the Enforcement Directorate on three dates in the INX Media money laundering case.

The hearing is underway before an apex court bench of Justices R Banumathi and A S Bopanna.

Appearing for Chidambaram, senior advocate Kapil Sibal said the agency cannot place documents in the court randomly and “behind the back” for seeking custody of the accused.