P. Chidambaram is in the custody of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) at the CBI Guest House, Delhi.
The CBI and the Enforcement Directorate (ED) arrested P. Chidambaram, the former Finance Minister of India and one of the senior most leaders of the Indian National Congress (INC,) for the INX Media scam.
After the arrest of Mr. Chidambaram, the CBI will produce him in the Special Court of the CBI for the 2nd round of interrogation, on the 22nd of August.
A spokesperson of the CBI addressed the media and said the arrest happened based on a warrant issued against P. Chidambaram.
Speaking about what happened after his arrest, the CBI said Chidambaram underwent a medical examination. Doctors from Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital conducted all the medical tests.
On the other hand, on the 22nd of August, the Indian National Congress (INC) organised a press conference and held the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) responsible for the arrest.
Randeep Surjewala, the Spokesperson of the INC, said, “A seasoned man with 40 years’ dedication to the public was arrested on the statement of a jailed woman who has been charged with murdering her own daughter.” The comments were made based on a statement of Indrani Mukherjee, who complained against Chidambaram.
Indrani Mukherjee, the former Director of INX Media, gave a statement against Chidambaram, in relation to the INX Media scam. Ms. Mukherjee said Chidambaram demanded a bribe of 1 million dollars to release funds to INX Media.
Indrani, who is also a part of the scam, on the 11th of July, became a confessional witness. Based on her statement, the CBI arrested Chidambaram.
The INC demanded an explanation from the BJP Government and the CBI, asking why the other accused in the scam were not arrested along with Chidambaram.
Randeep said the Central Government is using the ED and the CBI as personal weapons, to take revenge against the opposition, the INC.
The INC unit in West Bengal staged a protest against the arrest of Chidambaram, in Barrackpore, North 24 Parganas.
The case will soon be heard by the Chief Justice of India, Ranjan Gogoi.
Stay tuned for further updates.
