New Delhi: A Delhi court on Tuesday ordered extended of Karti Chidambaram's custody by three more days after the Central Bureau of Investigation underlined that it had "concrete credible evidence collected recently" against him.
Arguments on Karti Chidambram's bail plea will now be held on March 9.
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has told the court that it wanted to question the Congress leader's son for nine more days.
Earlier, on Tuesday the Supreme Court refused to grant Karti Chidambaram interim protection from arrest by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in an alleged money laundering case related to INX Media.
Also Read: INX Media case: Blow to Karti as SC refuses interim protection
In Delhi court, CBI said that though Karti's phone was seized he denied to share the password.
After seizing of mobile, if the accused says "I will not give my password, you go to hell", this is also called non cooperation, Additional Solicitor General (ASG) Tushar Mehta, counsel for CBI said.
Karti, son of senior Congress leader and former finance minister P Chidambaram, was arrested by the CBI last Wednesday from Chennai and the agency has interrogated him for five days.
The central investigating agency on Tuesday submitted before the court certain documents in a sealed cover related to the probe in the case over the last six days.
The court allowed Karti to meet his father, P Chidambaram, and mother Nalini Chidambaram, who were present in the courtroom, for 10 minutes.
During his five days of custody, Karti Chidambaram was taken to Mumbai where he was confronted with former INX Media director Indrani Mukerjea at the Byculla prison in connection with the case.
Tushar Mehta, a senior law officer of the government who appeared for the probe agency, told the special CBI court that its case was not just based on Indrani Mukerjea testimony but also other evidence that it had gathered.
"From India to global, from rupees to dollars, we (the country) have already suffered damage," Mehta said, underlining that this was a "huge investigation" and they had made "substantial progress" but needed more time.
The CBI also complained that Karti had not been cooperating, insisting that he had been "politically victimised".
On March 1, the court had allowed Karti Chidambaram's custodial interrogation by the CBI for five days, saying there was need to unearth the larger conspiracy in the INX Media case and his presence would serve an important purpose.
Seeking extension of custody, the CBI counsel VK Sharma said it was able to gather some information even though Karti Chidambaram was "evasive" while answering routine questions. It is necessary that he be remanded to police custody for a further nine days to elicit further information, the agency added.
The agency also reminded the court about its previous order in which it was stated that Karti Chidambaram's custody remand was necessary to confront him with documents, co-accused and to unearth the larger conspiracy and the role of other accused person involved in the case.
Karti Chidambaram's lawyer and Congress leader Abhishek Manu Singhvi has opposed the extension of his custodial interrogation and asked that he should be released on bail.
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.
During the last hearing, the probe agency had contended that there were "very shocking evidences" of what Karti Chidambaram had done when he went abroad ."...when he went abroad, he closed bank accounts in which funds were received," it alleged.
Senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi, appearing for Karti Chidambaram, had said there was not an iota of evidence against him. "...He is being arrested despite complying with court orders repeatedly."
According to the CBI, in May 2007, the first FIPB approval was given to INX Media. In April 2008, this reference was made in the Finance Ministry. From June 2008 onwards, the payment of the bribe money was started. The second FIPB approval was given on November 2, 2008. "We are investigating whether the April 2008 reference was a 'pressure technique'," the CBI contended following Singhvi's claim that it was P Chidambaram who had himself ordered a probe in the matter when he was finance minister.
