In a double whammy for former Union minister and senior Congress leader P Chidambaram, a special CBI court ordered him to judicial custody in the INX Media case even as the Supreme Court dismissed his petition for grant of anticipatory bail in the ED’s PMLA case against him in the same matter.

Special Judge Ajay Kumar Kuhar sent Chidambaram to 14-day judicial custody till September 19, even as senior lawyer Kapil Sibal, representing P Chidambaram, argued that Mr Chidambaram was ready to be arrested by Enforcement Directorate. Had the Enforcement Directorate arrested Mr Chidambaram, he would be sent to the Tughlaq Road police station in New Delhi instead of Tihar Jail.

"I am willing to go to Enforcement Directorate custody if they want, but why to judicial custody? Either I surrender, let Enforcement Directorate take custody, I don't have a problem," he said.

But the CBI said: "The accused is a powerful and influential person, so should be sent to judicial custody."

In the CBI's custody for the past 15 days, Mr Chidambaram had stayed in a room on the ground floor of the agency's building.

The Enforcement Directorate has accused Mr Chidambaram of money-laundering in the case involving INX Media, which is being investigated by the CBI.