INX Media case: CBI team visits P Chidambaram's Delhi residence

The Delhi High Court on Tuesday denied anticipatory bail to senior Congress leader P Chidambaram, leading to a possibility of his arrest in connection with the INX Media case.

On Tuesday, the federal investigating agency CBI put up a notice outside his residence at Jor Bagh in New Delhi asking him to appear before it within two hours.

The CBI team went to his Jor Bagh residence around 630 pm but did not find him there, sources said.

The notice was put up at his residence in his absence. 

According to the court, Chidamabaram could not be provided with the bail as he is a parliamentarian.

He has been termed as the "kingpin" in the case.

"Facts of the case prima facie reveal that the petitioner is the kingpin, that is, the key conspirator in this case," the judge said.

A six-member team from the CBI visited his Delhi home on Tuesday evening, but the former minister was not present there.

Chidambaram's legal team, led by Kapil Sibal, has challenged the order in the Supreme Court.

The case is expected to have an early hearing on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra tweeted in support of her senior party colleague and said: " An extremely qualified and respected member of the Rajya Sabha, @PChidambaram_IN ji has served our nation with loyalty for decades including as Finance Minister & Home Minister. He unhesitatingly speaks truth to power and exposes the failures of this government but the truth is inconvenient to cowards so he is being shamefully hunted down. We stand by him and will continue to fight for the truth no matter what the consequences are."

Chidambaram and his son Karti have come under the scanner of investigating agencies in the Rs 3,500-crore Aircel-Maxis deal and the INX Media case involving Rs 305 crore.

Chidambaram and Karti have been questioned by the ED on various occasions, even though the politician has not been arrayed as an accused.

Both had denied the allegations levelled against them by the CBI and the ED.

Karti and INX Media were alleged to have been involved in the Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) clearance given to the media house for foreign direct investment (FDI) in 2007.

The probing agency had claimed that the FDI proposal of the media house was "fallacious" but former Union finance minister Chidambaram had cleared it, said reports.