india

Updated: Oct 25, 2019 16:49 IST

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has challenged the release on bail, of two Congress leaders--former finance and home minister P Chidambaram and former Karnataka minister DK Shivakumar—in the Supreme Court on Friday.

Chidambaram was granted bail by the Supreme Court on Tuesday, October 23, in the INX Media corruption case, being probed by the CBI, while the Delhi High Court had given bail to DK Sivakumar on the same day in a case of alleged money laundering being probed by the Enforcement Directorate.

Despite the bail, Chidambaram will remain in ED custody till October 30. The ED is probing the money laundering angle in the original case of alleged irregular FIPB approval granted to INX Media --for foreign funding of Rs 305 crore in lieu of favours to his son—being probed by the CBI.

INX media corruption case was registered on May 15, 2017, almost 10-years after Chidambaram had granted the clearances in question as then finance minister.

Granting bail in the CBI case, the Supreme Court rejected the CBI’s claims that Chidambaram could influence witnesses and flee the country like Vijay Mallya and Nirav Modi. Chidambaram is now citing the SC order to seek bail in the money laundering case being probed by the ED as well, claiming that both the cases arise out of the same financial transaction and therefore, do not merit separate remands.

The senior politician also claimed that he fell sick twice during the two months in custody and his health could worsen if not released. Former Union minister was first arrested by the CBI on 21 August this year by the CBI.

The veteran Congress leader maintains that his arrest was malafide and only designed to harm his reputation as the agencies had no evidence of wrongdoing.

The CBI maintains that Chidambaram’s custodial interrogation was necessary as the case was complex and the former minister had been evasive in his replies. The agency had also claimed that Chidambaram had attempted to influence witnesses in the past and couldn’t be released.

Karnataka Congress leader DK Shivakumar was granted bail in a money laundering case by the Delhi High Court, which held he cannot tamper with the evidence or influence witnesses. He was arrested by the ED on September 3 this year.

Shivakumar met the interim Congress President Sonia Gandhi and former party president Rahul Gandhi on Thursday after his release and said Congress workers need to ‘show strength’.

The alleged money laundering case was registered against him by the ED in Sept last year, based on a complaint filed the Income Tax Department, alleging tax evasion and hawala transactions amounting to crores.