P Chidambaram moves courts fearing arrest in AircelMaxis deal INX Media cases

Senior Congress leader and former Union Minister P Chidambaram Wednesday approached a trial court and the Delhi High Court, seeking anticipatory bail after probe agencies asked him to join investigations into two separate cases of alleged corruption, one related to the Aircel-Maxis deal and the other to INX Media.

Chidambaram filed a plea in the court of Special Judge O P Saini in connection with summons in the Aircel-Maxis case. The court granted him interim protection from arrest and ordered the Enforcement Directorate (ED) not to take any coercive action against him until June 5.

Special Judge Saini said Chidambaram will join the investigation as and when called by the ED. In the order, the judge noted that Chidambaram had undertaken to comply with summons issued by the ED while stating that he apprehended arrest by the agency.

Hours later, Chidambaram moved the Delhi High Court, seeking anticipatory bail in the INX Media case being probed by the CBI which had asked him to join the probe Thursday.

When the matter came up for hearing, Justice S P Garg said that due to paucity of time, he would not be able to hear the plea. He referred the matter to Acting Chief Justice Gita Mittal to list it before an appropriate bench. It was assigned to Justice A K Pathak who sent a message via the court master to the counsel for CBI and Chidambaram that the matter would be taken up at 3 pm. But they requested that it be adjourned until Thursday.

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