A special court in Delhi on Thursday extended Congress leader P Chidambaram’s judicial custody in the INX Media case till October 17, PTI reported. The Central Bureau of Investigation had sought extension of Chidambaram’s custody in the case.

Chidambaram was produced in court on Thursday after his judicial custody ended. The lawyer for the former finance minister told the court that Chidambaram wanted home-cooked food in jail due to his medical ailments. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, representing the CBI, said the agency did not have any objection to the Congress leader getting home-cooked food, Hindustan Times reported.

Chidambaram in his petition said that he had already lost 4 kg as he is not used to the food provided inside the jail. The court accepted his request.

Chidambaram has been in Tihar Jail since September 5. On September 19, a special CBI court in Delhi extended his judicial custody till October 3.

Earlier on Thursday, Chidambaram moved the Supreme Court seeking bail in the case after the Delhi High Court denied his plea. Chidambaram’s counsel Kapil Sibal mentioned the matter before the bench of Justices NV Ramana, Sanjiv Khanna and Krishna Murari. However, the judges sent the matter to be listed before Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi.

Dismissing his bail plea on Monday, the Delhi High Court had said Chidambaram might influence witnesses in the case.

The case

The CBI has alleged that there were irregularities in the foreign direct investment clearance granted to INX Media by the Foreign Investment Promotion Board in 2007. The Congress leader was the finance minister at the time. The agency has submitted purported emails between INX Media and a company belonging to P Chidambaram’s son Karti Chidambaram, claiming that these emails will “prove offences committed”.

The INX Media case is also being investigated by the Enforcement Directorate, which filed a money laundering case in May 2017 against Karti Chidambaram, INX Media, and Indrani and Peter Mukerjea. The former owners of INX Media reportedly told the investigating agencies that Chidambaram had asked them to meet his son and help him with his business.

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