india

Updated: Jun 22, 2020 20:54 IST

Former Union minister P Chidambaram’s family issued a statement on Tuesday challenging the government to “produce a shred of evidence. Chidambaram was arrested in connection with the INX Media case on August 21 by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) from his residence in New Delhi’s Jor Bagh.

“We challenge govt to produce a shred of evidence in support of one undisclosed bank account/property or shell company anywhere in the world. We are absolutely confident that ultimately truth will prevail,” the family said in a statement posted on social media.

The case of corruption is linked to government approval of foreign investment in INX Media Private Limited in 2007, when Chidambaram was finance minister in the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government.

Watch| Politically motivated witch-hunt’: Karti Chidambaram on father’s arrest

“We are distressed to note that the media has been reporting completely wild, unverified and unsubstantiated allegations against Sh. P. Chidambaram in the last few days. While we understand that the motive of the government to demonize and humiliate Sh. P. Chidambaram, we are deeply saddened that the media is unable to uphold liberty against calumny. One of the fundamental principles of liberty Every person is presumed innocent unless proved to be guilty in a court of law,” said the family’s statement.

On Tuesday, the Supreme Court extended till Wednesday the protection from arrest by Enforcement Directorate for P.Chidambaram. A bench of Justices R Banumathi and A S Bopanna said it would hear ED’s arguments Chidambaram’s two petitions, including the challenge to remand orders.

In May 2017, the CBI registered an FIR alleging irregularities in the INX Media’s FIPB clearance for receiving overseas funds of ₹305 crore in 2007. The Enforcement Directorate lodged a money laundering case in 2017.

Peter Mukerjea and his wife Indrani Mukerjea, the co-founders of INX Media, have been charged with entering into a criminal conspiracy with Karti, P Chidambaram’s son, to get foreign investment approvals.

Indrani Mukerjea had told the CBI that a deal of $1 million was struck between Karti Chidambaram and the Mukerjeas to secure approval from the FIPB for INX Media. Indrani Mukerjea was allowed by a Delhi court last month to turn approver in the INX Media case. Indrani Mukerjea, a prime suspect in the murder of her daughter Sheena Bora, is currently lodged in Byculla jail in Mumbai.

Both P Chidambaram and his son Karti have consistently denied all the allegations and said they were motivated by “political vendetta” by the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government.