Former Union Minister P Chidambaram outside the Rouse Avenue District Court Complex in New Delhi on Thursday. (ANI)
A Delhi court has remanded Congress leader and former Union minister P Chidambaram in seven-day custody of the Enforcement Directorate in the INX Media case.
Arrested by the CBI on August 21, Chidambaram has been in judicial custody since September 5. He was arrested inside Tihar jail on Wednesday by the ED, which is probing charges of money laundering in the same case. Chidambaram has denied the ED’s claims of bank accounts or properties abroad.
The court said the ED could have utilised the time “the accused was in judicial custody in the CBI matter to examine him with regard to the material available with the ED”. However, it said the court was “not inclined to deny an opportunity to ED to interrogate the accused in present case to facilitate proper investigation” to “reach a logical end” and allowed custodial interrogation till October 24.
Seeking 14-day custody of Chidambaram, the ED, represented by Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, told Special Judge Ajay Kumar Kuhar, “First of all need for custodial interrogation is recognised by Supreme Court, but to satisfy the conscience of this court, I will produce material collected by the ED with regard to the money laundering investigation. We have detailed facts, figures and references on what material is collected.”
Mehta said that Chidambaram had on September 5 volunteered for custodial interrogation which he opposed as the agency wanted to fully utilise the 15-day remand period. Submitting the agency’s findings before and after September 5, Mehta said, “The investigating agency wanted to make the arrest after taking down the statements. The ED investigation is totally different and distinct… (ED) has examined 12 witnesses. On October 9, the last witness was examined. We are not guilty of any delay, we were prompt.”
However, senior advocate Kapil Sibal, who appeared for Chidambaram, strongly protested to the ED application, calling it a ruse. “I (Chidambaram) have appeared thrice. Last time on February 8… They never called me after that. So there was no material till September 5. What has happened that suddenly they have found material? This is a ruse. And now they need 15 days remand?” he asked.
Sibal told the court that the ED has been talking of bank accounts, shell companies, letters rogatory and properties for the past two years but had not confronted Chidambaram with the same. “Show me one bank account, one property. Whatever they have asked me (Chidambaram), I told them that I have no knowledge.”
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Sibal then told the court that it must be examined whether the 12 witnesses were available in the past two years and why they were not examined earlier.
The court said, “The investigating officer in the present case never approached this court for examination of the accused while he was in custody in the CBI matter.
The witnesses which have been examined must have been available earlier also as the case was registered back on 18.5.2017. These witnesses could have been examined earlier but again I would say the investigating officer is the best person to know when to examine which witnesses.”
Anand Mohan J is an award-winning Senior Correspondent for The Indian Express, currently leading the bureau’s coverage of Madhya Pradesh. With a career spanning over eight years, he has established himself as a trusted voice at the intersection of law, internal security, and public policy.
Based in Bhopal, Anand is widely recognized for his authoritative reporting on Maoist insurgency in Central India. In late 2025, he provided exclusive, ground-level coverage of the historic surrender of the final Maoist cadres in Madhya Pradesh, detailing the backchannel negotiations and the "vacuum of command" that led to the state being declared Maoist-free.
Expertise and Reporting Beats
Anand’s investigative work is characterized by a "Journalism of Courage" approach, holding institutions accountable through deep-dive analysis of several key sectors:
National Security & Counter-Insurgency: He is a primary chronicler of the decline of Naxalism in the Central Indian corridor, documenting the tactical shifts of security forces and the rehabilitation of surrendered cadres.
Judiciary & Legal Accountability: Drawing on over four years of experience covering Delhi’s trial courts and the Madhya Pradesh High Court, Anand deconstructs complex legal rulings. He has exposed critical institutional lapses, including custodial safety violations and the misuse of the National Security Act (NSA).
Wildlife Conservation (Project Cheetah): Anand is a leading reporter on Project Cheetah at Kuno National Park. He has provided extensive coverage of the biological and administrative hurdles of rewilding Namibian and South African cheetahs, as well as high-profile cases of wildlife trafficking.
Public Health & Social Safety: His recent investigative work has uncovered systemic negligence in public services, such as contaminated blood transfusions causing HIV infections in thalassemia patients and the human cost of the fertilizer crisis affecting rural farmers.
Professional Background
Tenure: Joined The Indian Express in 2017.
Locations: Transitioned from the high-pressure Delhi City beat (covering courts, police, and labor issues) to his current role as a regional lead in Madhya Pradesh.
Notable Investigations: * Exposed the "digital arrest" scams targeting entrepreneurs.
Investigated the Bandhavgarh elephant deaths and the impact of kodo millet fungus on local wildlife.
Documented the transition of power and welfare schemes (like Ladli Behna) in Madhya Pradesh governance.
Digital & Professional Presence
Author Profile: Anand Mohan J at Indian Express
Twitter handle: @mohanreports ... Read More
Former Union Minister P Chidambaram outside the Rouse Avenue District Court Complex in New Delhi on Thursday. (ANI)
