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Updated: Jun 21, 2020 22:35 IST

Former Union finance minister P Chidambaram’s pleas challenging the Delhi High Court’s order that denied him anticipatory bail in the INX media case is scheduled to be heard by the Supreme Court on Monday. The top court will also hear a fresh plea by Chidambaram in which he has challenged the arrest warrant issued against him and the trial court’s order remanding him in CBI custody.

The Supreme Court on Friday had granted the former finance minister protection from arrest by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) till Monday, which is probing the money-laundering aspect of the INX media case. The court has sought replies from the ED on Chidambaram’s pleas and directed that the matters should be listed on Monday.

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Chidambaram, however, spent the weekend in CBI custody as the Supreme Court bench deferred his petition asking for a pre-arrest bail in the CBI case to August 26.

The August 23 hearing witnessed exchange of words between prosecution counsel and Solicitor General Tushar Mehta and senior advocate and Chidambaram’s party colleagues Kapil Sibal and A M Singhvi. Mehta vehemently opposed the order granting protection from arrest to Chidambaram in the money laundering case registered by the ED.

The CBI arrested Chidambaram on August 21 from his Jor Bagh residence, hours after the Supreme Court did not accord an urgent hearing to his appeals filed against the Delhi high court’s day-old order of Justice Sunil Gaur (now retired) that rejected his pre-arrest bail petition in INX media case, one registered by CBI and the other by ED. On August 22, CBI produced Chidambaram before a special judge, which allowed the agency to interrogate him in custody till August 26.

The INX Media case relates to alleged irregularities in Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) clearance given to the media group for foreign investment to the tune of Rs 305 crore in 2007, when Chidambaram was finance minister. CBI registered a first information report on May 15, 2017, alleging irregularities in the manner the clearance had been awarded. The Enforcement Directorate (ED) filed a money laundering case a year later.