P Chidambaram Suffers A Fresh Setback As SC Says His Petition "Infructuous"

The bench told Sibal that Chidambaram's plea will be listed for hearing after the registry gets necessary orders from CJI Ranjan Gogoi.

Ex-finance minister Palaniappan Chidambaram (C in white shirt with glasses) leaves a court in New Delhi on August 22, 2019. - High drama unfolded in New Delhi late on August 21 as officers from India's equivalent of the FBI scaled the walls of a former finance minister's home to arrest him on corruption charges, local media reported. (Photo/AFP)

New Delhi: In a fresh setback to P Chidambaram, the Supreme Court on Monday refused to entertain his petition seeking protection from arrest by the CBI saying it was "infructuous" now since he had already been arrested on August 21. Justice R. Banumathi asked the Congress leader’s counsel Kapil Sibal and Abhishek Manu Singhvi to move regular bail before appropriate court. "Can't entertain this after your arrest," said the court. "We can't convert your petition against rejection of anticipatory bail into a petition for regular bail," Justice R. Banumathi told advocates Kapil Sibal and Abhishek Manu Singhvi. The court observed that the third petition against the CBI's remand had not been listed so far. "We cannot pass order on listing. The CJI (Chief Justice of India) will do it," the judge said. P Chidambaram this morning had moved the Supreme Court, saying his plea challenging the trial court's order remanding him to CBI custody in the INX media case has not been listed for hearing today despite the apex court's direction on August 23. Senior advocate Kapil Sibal, appearing for Chidambaram, mentioned the matter before a bench headed by Justice R Banumathi and said that during the hearing on Friday last, the court had said that the plea challenging the remand order would be taken up for hearing today but it has not been listed for arguments. The bench told Sibal that Chidambaram's plea will be listed for hearing after the registry gets necessary orders from CJI Ranjan Gogoi. "The registry has some difficulty and we have to take orders from the Chief Justice," the bench told Sibal. Chidambaram's pleas challenging the Delhi High Court's August 28 order dismissing his anticipatory bail in the INX media corruption and money laundering cases lodged by CBI and ED are listed for hearing in the apex court today. (With additional information from Agencies)