CBI and Enforcement Directorate are probing P Chidambaram's role in the INX media case.
The CBI and Enforcement Directorate Friday told the Delhi High Court that custodial interrogation of Congress leader and former Union minister P Chidambaram was required the INX Media cases.
The submission was made before Justice Sunil Gaur who was hearing P Chidambaram's bail plea in the corruption and money laundering cases relating to the INX Media scandal.
The High Court reserved its order and the interim protection from arrest granted to P Chidambaram and will continue till the decision on his plea is passed.
Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, representing CBI and ED, contended that the Congress leader was evasive during interrogation and was giving long answers. He added that P Chidambaram did not disclose any information and the agencies required his custodial interrogation which will be qualitatively different.
Senior advocate Kapil Sibal, appearing for P Chidambaram, said the former finance minister was called for questioning by the CBI only once in June 2018 and was not even named as an accused in the FIR.
P Chidambaram's role in the Rs 3,500-crore Aircel-Maxis deal and the INX Media case involving Rs 305 crore came under the scanner of investigating agencies. It was during his tenure as finance minister in the UPA-I government that clearances from the Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) were given to the two ventures.
In the INX Media case, the CBI had registered an FIR on May 15, 2017 alleging irregularities in the FIPB clearance granted to the media group for receiving overseas funds to the tune of Rs 305 crore during P Chidambaram's tenure as finance minister.