New Delhi, September 19: Up ahead after the CBI sought extension of judicial remand of INX media case accused P Chidambaram who is in Tihar jail, the Supreme Court on Saturday moved up extending the judicial custody till October 3.
Solicitor Mehta, appearing for CBI, sought extension of the judicial custody and said there has been no change of circumstance from the day he was first sent to jail. However Senior advocate Kapil Sibal, appearing for Chidambaram, opposed the investigative agency's plea to extend his judicial custody but special judge Ajay Kumar Kuhar went ahead and extended judicial custody by a further 14 days.
During the hearing, Sibal also claimed that the 74 year old Congress leader was suffering from various ailments like coronary artery disease, hypertension, impaired glycemia and has lost weight during the custody.
"There were chairs outside the room, I used to sit there during the day, now that too is withdrawn. Because I was using it, they have taken it away, now even the warden is without a chair", Chidambaram said, interjecting after his lawyers Kapil Sibal and Abhishek Manu Singhvi made a case for his release.
"He had a chair till three days ago. Now there is no chair and no pillow either", said Mr Singhvi to which the government said it was a small issue and that there had been no chair in the cell in the first place. "It's a small issue. No need to sensationalise it. It's a petty chair. There was no chair in his room from beginning," said the government's lawyer Tushar Mehta, Solicitor General.
Chidambaram is accused of signing off, as the country's finance minister, a huge infusion of foreign funds into the company INX Media in 2007. His son Karti Chidambaram is accused of receiving kickbacks for facilitating the process.
The Chidambarams were named by INX co-founders Peter and Indrani Mukerjea, who are in jail in Mumbai in connection with the murder of Indrani's daughter Sheena Bora.