NEW DELHI: The CBI custody of Karti Chidambaram , who was last week arrested for allegedly taking bribes, was today extended by three days.

The next hearing on his bail plea will be held on March 9, reported ANI.

The CBI had requested a Delhi court to extend its custody of Karti by another nine days.

Karti alleged that the investigation against him was "borne out of political vendetta" and that the CBI was "acting at the behest of the central government" to malign the image of his father and former finance minister P Chidambaram , reported PTI.

The bail application stated, "It is submitted that the instant criminal proceeding is mala fide and borne out of political vendetta and the investigating agency was acting at the behest of the central government, which wants to malign the untainted and unimpeachable reputation of the applicant's father P Chidambaram who is a senior leader of the Indian National Congress and is also the ex-Union finance minister."

He also termed his arrest "illegal and arbitrary", but the CBI stressed that his custodial interrogation was necessary to unearth the conspiracy in the INX Media corruption case.

Karti rejected allegations that he attempted to influence witnesses and tamper with documentary evidence.

Before the special CBI court pronounced the ruling, the agency had, through its counsel additional solicitor general (ASG) Tushar Mehta, accused Karti of "non-cooperation".

"After seizing of mobile, if the accused says, 'I will not give my password, you go to hell', this is also called non-cooperation," Mehta had said.

" Indrani Mukerjea 's statement is one of the evidences for us, but it's not the sole one," he added.

INX Media promoters Indrani and her husband Peter had alleged that they paid Karti over Rs 3 crore in bribe at the behest of his father, who, as the then-finance minister, was in-charge of the Foreign Investment Promotion Board. The board is the nodal agency for granting approvals to companies to access foreign funds.

On the other hand, Karti's lawyer Abhishek Manu Singhvi had argued that the investigative agency "gave no reasons but kept repeating orally that we have to interrogate."

"Argued that CBI hasn't given a single ground or written a single reason in its application for further remand. Karti Chidambaram only had a 25-minute-long confrontation with Indrani Mukerjea and around two hours long interrogation in the last five days and there is no need of further custody," Singhvi said.

The order came hours after the Supreme Court refused to grant Karti interim protection from possible arrest by the Enforcement Directorate (ED). However, the apex court agreed to hear his writ petition challenging ED proceedings against him without registering any FIR.

Karti has been in CBI custody since March 1, after the agency contended that there were "very shocking evidences" of his activities while on a recent trip to London.

He was arrested on February 28 on the basis of statements from the Mukerjeas.

On Sunday, Indrani and Karti were brought face-to-face in Mumbai's Byculla jail, when, once again, she "repeated everything she had said in her statement recorded under Section 164 of CrPC before a magistrate and during her examination by investigators."

"Indrani replied calmly to all the questions and recalled her meeting with the former FM (P Chidambaram) and later with Karti and then the fact that Karti asked for a bribe to help the company, which was ultimately paid," a CBI source told TOI. "She is ready to stand by it in court."

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Karti's counsel had earlier claimed that he had no connection with the firm Advantage Strategic Consulting (P) Limited which allegedly received kickbacks.

The Congress had called the arrest a 'diversionary tactic' by the BJP to reduce attention around the recent bank frauds in the country.

The BJP, on the other hand, had emphasised that no one is above the law.

"I believe no one should consider oneself above the law of the country. The corrupt are being sent to jail under the law which is taking its own course in the matter," said party leader Sambit Patra. "I see no reason why any political party should cry vendetta. This is law, not vendetta."

(With inputs from agencies)

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