INX Media Key Highlights: Chidambaram Moves SC As Bail Plea Denied

The Delhi High Court has earlier dismissed his anticipatory bail plea.

Former Finance Minister P Chidambaram failed to get an audience from Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi on Tuesday, 20 August, for urgent hearing of his appeal in the Supreme Court against the Delhi High Court order dismissing his anticipatory bail plea.

Chidambaram had approached the apex court for an urgent hearing, after the Delhi High Court dismissed his anticipatory bail plea in the money laundering cases related to the INX Media scandal.

The matter has been listed for hearing on 21 August.

Here are the key points in this case:

• The Delhi High Court on Tuesday refused to grant any protection to Chidambaram from arrest by the CBI and the Enforcement Directorate.
• Justice Sunil Gaur, who is due to retire on Thursday, said pre-arrest bail is not meant for high-profile economic offenders and lawmakers cannot be allowed to turn into lawbreakers with impunity, particularly in cases of this magnitude.
• Chidambaram met senior advocates Kapil Sibal, Abhishek Manu Singhvi and Salman Khurshid, all Congress leaders, in the apex court for deliberating his further course of action.
• A team of lawyers led by senior advocate and Chidambaram's party colleague Kapil Sibal was told by the registrar (judicial) to mention the petition on Wednesday morning in the apex court.
• Rejection of his anticipatory bail plea by the Delhi High Court opens up the possibility of arrest of the Congress leader.
• Hours after the judgment was pronounced, a CBI team headed to Chidambaram's home in Delhi’s posh Jor Bagh locality but left the place after he was reportedly not found at the residence. An ED team also followed but returned.

(With inputs from PTI)