“Go to hell” says Karti Chidambaram; accused non-cooperative

On Tuesday the Supreme Court had rejected the bail plea of Karti Chidambaram and had handed him over to the CBI’s custody.

But Karti was co-operating with the CBI.

The son of former finance minister P. Chidambaram did not disclose passwords to his phone during custodial interrogation in the INX Media corruption case. He was sent to three days Central Bureau of Investigation custody by a Delhi court.

“When we (CBI) ask him (Karti) questions viz. give us your phone’s password he virtually says “go to hell”,” Additional Solicitor General Tushar Mehta appearing for the CBI told the court, Bar and Bench quoted.

The CBI, which produced Karti before special judge Sunil Rana after his five-day police custody expired on Tuesday, said an extension was needed as there were “new revelations”. Though there was “substantial progress” in the last four days of investigation into the case, he “had not been cooperating”, it had said.

His answer to every question was, “I am politically victimized”, the agency added.

READ ALSO: Karti Chidambaran’s plea gets rejected by the Supreme Court

The agency had alleged that witnesses in the case were being approached and evidence destroyed.

The CBI, which had sought nine days of police custody of Karti, had said he was taken to Mumbai and confronted with Indrani Mukerjea, one of the then promoters of INX Media, at the Byculla prison and her statement was just one of the evidence.

The court posted the hearing on the bail plea on March 9 when Karti will be produced before it after his three-day police custody.

During the period of remand, all the conditions laid down in the March 1 order will prevail — that Karti will be medically examined every 24 hours and will be at liberty to seek the assistance of his counsel, one hour each in the morning and evening.

Though he will be permitted to carry medicines on prescription with him, he will be denied home food.

READ ALSO: P Chidambaram asked us to help Karti’s business : Indrani Mukerjea

Senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi, appearing for Karti, said the CBI just wanted to keep him in custody by hook or by crook. “I have cooperated. I am not obliged to answer what you (CBI) want to hear. My duty is only to make myself available for questioning,” Singhvi submitted.

“The shifting of stands/reasons by the CBI to keep me in custody is a mala fide attempt on their part to get my custody,” the senior advocate said.

“Is Indrani’s statement even an admissible evidence? She is in jail in the murder case of her daughter,” he asked, adding that Karti was not a terrorist with a bomb that he could not be interrogated without being kept in custody.

Karti was arrested on February 28 at Chennai Airport on his return from the United Kingdom, in connection with the FIR lodged on May 15, 2017, alleging irregularities in FIPB clearance to INX Media for receiving overseas funds worth about Rs 305 crore in 2007 when his father was finance minister.

The fresh evidence in the case, triggering the arrest, was based on a statement from Indrani Mukerjea, also an accused in the Sheena Bora murder case, who recorded it under section 164 of the CrPC before a magistrate on February 17.