INX Media case: P Chidambaram sent to ED custody till October 24

A special court on Thursday has sent former finance minister P Chidambaram to the custody of Enforcement Directorate till October 24 in the INX Media case. The probe agency had sought 14 days of custody of the former FM. ED had arrested him after interrogation in Tihar jail on Wednesday where he has been lodged since September 5.

The ED told the court that it will provide home-cooked food, medicines, a separate cell, a western toilet and medicines to Chidambaram. The agency, however, turned down his demand for air conditioning.

Shortly after his arrest, the ED had filed a plea before special judge Ajay Kumar Kuhar seeking a 14-day custodial interrogation of the 74-year-old Congress leader. The court while issuing a production warrant against Chidambaram in the ED case said it would take up the remand plea on Thursday when his judicial custody expires in the corruption case filed by the Central Bureau of Investigation(CBI). Chidambaram has been in the CBI judicial custody since August 21.

The agency had filed a case against him in May 2017, following which the ED filed a money-laundering case against him.

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On Wednesday, the ED had questioned Chidambaram on Wednesday at the Delhi's Tihar jail in the INX Media case. Officials from the agency visited the prison in Delhi early morning and quizzed him. A city court on Monday had allowed the ED to interrogate Chidambaram in the Tihar jail.

The ED has filed a criminal case against Chidambaram under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). Its probe pertains to the FIPB approval given to the INX Media group during Chidambaram's tenure as India's finance minister.

The CBI is also set to file a chargesheet in the INX Media corruption case and it is likely to name Chidambaram and his son Karti.

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