NEW DELHI: Former Union minister P Chidambaram and his legal team on Thursday told a Delhi court that he was ready to surrender to the Enforcement Directorate in the INX Media case and be remanded in their custody for questioning rather than go to Tihar jail.
Interestingly, the ED, despite getting a favourable order from the top court rejecting anticipatory bail to Chidambaram, did not move any plea before the CBI special court to seek his custody for interrogation.
Senior lawyer Kapil Sibal, who is representing Chidambaram, told the court that the CBI did not have any reason to remand him in judicial custody except to humiliate the senior Congress leader.
Sibal told Special Judge Ajay Kumar Kuhar there was no principle in law that once an accused’s police custody is over, he would have to be sent to jail as a necessary consequence.
“There is no scope of tampering with evidence. In fact, I am willing to go to ED custody. I am willing to surrender,” he told the court. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta who appeared for ED at the SC while arguing against Chidambaram’s plea stated that the agency needs Chidambaram’s custodial interrogation so that bigger conspiracy can be unearthed.