Entertaining Chidambaram's plea against remand orders will set bad precedent: CBI to SC

The CBI told the Supreme Court Tuesday that entertaining former finance minister P Chidambaram's plea challenging the remand orders of a trial court in the INX media corruption case would "set a very bad precedent".

The probe agency sought dismissal of Chidambaram's plea and said all similarly placed accused would come directly to the top court, challenging the remand orders of the trial court "as liberty of other citizen would not be less important than of petitioner (P Chidambaram)".

The affidavit of CBI was filed before a bench of Justices R Banumathi and A S Bopanna, which directed that Chidambaram would remain in the CBI custody till September 5 and listed his plea for hearing on Thursday.

Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, filed the affidavit on the plea of Chidambaram in which he has challenged the non-bailable warrant (NBW) issued against him and the subsequent remand orders passed by the trial court.

The bench ordered that "status quo" be maintained on Chidambaram's custody despite the CBI insisting that it does not require his further custodial interrogation in the case.

In an affidavit filed by CBI SP Rajpal Meena, the probe agency said: "I state and submit that entertaining of a petition under Article 136 of the Constitution directly against an order of remand passed by the competent court in exercise of discretionary jurisdiction under section 167 of the CrPC would set a very bad precedent."