P. Chidambaram Runs Out Of Options In The INX Media Case

The Congress says Chidambaram’s arrest is political vendetta, but the BJP is winning the perception battle

- Namrata Biji Ahuja And Soni Mishra

P. Chidambaram has a habit of personally receiving visitors at his 115-A, Block 172, Jor Bagh residence in south Delhi. But on August 20, a team of CBI sleuths that went looking for him three times could not find the host in the house. Earlier in the day, the Delhi High Court had rejected the former Union finance minister’s request for anticipatory bail in the INX Media case, saying the facts of the case pointed out that he was the “kingpin or the key conspirator” in the case. Though he moved Supreme Court, the matter was posted for hearing on August 23.

On August 21, however, Chidambaram made a dramatic entry into a media conference at the Congress headquarters, which was to be addressed by his legal team. He read out from a prepared statement: “I was aghast that I was accused of hiding from the law. On the contrary, I was seeking protection of the law. I was accused of running away from justice. On the contrary, I was engaged in the pursuit of justice.” It seems he is in for a long pursuit, as the CBI arrested him from his house when he returned after the media conference. The fact that the CBI officials had to jump the compound wall of Chidambaram’s house amid anti-Modi sloganeering by Congress supporters was evidence of the onset of the first bitter political fight between the Congress and the BJP post the Lok Sabha polls.

The CBI registered a first information report on May 15, 2017, to probe the alleged irregularities in the Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) clearance to INX Media for receiving overseas funds of 305 crore in 2007, when Chidambaram was the finance minister. Chidambaram’s son, Karti, is an accused in the criminal and money laundering cases registered by the CBI and the Enforcement Directorate. Karti was arrested by the CBI in February 2018 and he got bail after a few days. While he continues to be on bail, the charges of misuse of office have come to haunt Chidambaram.