Former Union Minister P. Chidambaram on Wednesday approached the Delhi High Court seeking interim bail in the INX Media money laundering case citing health grounds.
The 74-year-old’s petition is posted for hearing on Thursday before a Bench of Justice Suresh Kumar Kait.
In his plea, Mr. Chidambaram has sought interim relief for six days to enable him to consult and get examined by his regular treating doctor at the Asian Institute of Gastroenterology, Hyderabad, as he was not responding to the treatment at the AIIMS, Delhi.
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Abdominal pain
The plea also said that for the past several days Mr. Chidambaram was suffering from chronic abdominal pain due to Crohn’s disease, with which he was diagnosed in 2017. Additionally, the plea stated that Mr. Chidambaram has lost weight from 73.5 kg to 66 kg due to the ailment.
The Congress leader had earlier moved the High Court seeking regular bail in the alleged money laundering case, in which he is presently in ED custody. He has already been granted bail by the Supreme Court in the INX Media case, which is being probed by the CBI.
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CBI FIR
The case relates to a First Information Report (FIR) registered by the CBI on May 15, 2017 against alleged irregularities in the Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) clearance provided to INX Media for receiving overseas funds to the tune of ₹305 crore in 2007, when Mr. Chidambaram was Finance Minister.
The ED is investigating the alleged offence of money laundering arising out of the FIR.