INX media case: Confusion prevails in Delhi court over Supreme Court order

Confusion prevailed in the Delhi court on Monday over the Supreme Court order on former finance minister P Chidambaram's plea in the INX Media case with CBI and defence lawyers referring to the direction to get a favourable order.

When the proceedings began at 4:20 pm, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for CBI, told judge Ajay Kumar Kuhar that some developments have taken place in the apex court direction which was passed earlier in the day.

He told the court that he was not present in the hearing which took place in the morning as he was attending a prayer meet of late Union minister Arun Jaitley.

Mehta informed the court that after an initial order was passed by the top court, he mentioned the case again before the apex court at 3 pm and said that the order passed earlier in the day would cause jurisdictional difficulty in its implementation and requested the matter to be kept for tomorrow.

The top court had initially asked the trial court to consider Chidambaram's request for interim bail in the INX Media corruption case after Chidambaram said that he not be sent to Tihar jail under judicial custody and offered to be in house arrest.

The apex court said if Chidambaram's request for interim bail was not considered by the trial court on Monday itself, his CBI custody would be extended by three more days.

In the trial court, senior advocate Kapil Sibal, appearing for Chidambaram, said that he is filing the interim bail application in view of the earlier order passed by the Supreme Court.

Mehta objected to this saying that the agency should be issued notice first and given time to reply. He said he mentioned the matter in the top court which has posted the matter for hearing tomorrow.

To this, Sibal said: "I was here" (when you mentioned the matter again)."
Senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi, also appearing for Chidamabarm, said,"according to us, the Supreme Court said decide (the interim bail) today, or extend remand till September 5."