Aircel-Maxis case: P Chidambaram moves court over alleged leakage of chargesheet by CBI

NEW DELHI: Former Union Finance Minister and senior Congress leader P Chidambaram on Tuesday moved a special court over the alleged leakage of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) chargesheet against him in the Aircel-Maxis case.

Filing his plea before the special Delhi court, the Congress veteran stated that the CBI chargesheet was allegedly leaked to the media.

Chidambaram alleged that the "CBI is not interested in a fair trial" in the case.

Aircel-Maxis Case: Congress leader P Chidambaram approaches a special court in Delhi against CBI for leaking charge-sheet to the media. P Chidambaram through the application says, "CBI is not interested in a fair trial." (File pic) pic.twitter.com/61oubI6mKO — ANI (@ANI) August 28, 2018

Defending himself in the case, Chidambaram had on Monday accused the CBI of allegedly leaking the chargesheet to the media ''for a media trial".

He reiterated that he had approved the deal on the basis of an FIPB proposal.

"The CBI leaks its chargesheet to one newspaper because it wants a trial by the media. Fortunately, under our legal system, the trial can take place only in a court of law," Chidambaram said on Twitter.

CBI's chargesheet has not been given to the persons named therein. Yet it is leaked to one servile newspaper which publishes it in instalments! — P. Chidambaram (@PChidambaram_IN) August 28, 2018

"It is the Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) that decides if a proposal falls within the competence of the Finance Minister. The FIPB put up the proposal to me and I approved it along with 20 other proposals," the senior Congress leader added.

The remarks from Chidambaram came after a leading daily claimed citing the CBI chargesheet that the Congress leader did not grant FDI approvals "mechanically" but there was "due application of mind" and that he used to raise queries but he "deliberately ignored prevailing guidelines while deciding the Aircel-Maxis case" to avoid sending it to the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA).

On August 24, the Enforcement Directorate had quizzed Chidambaram in the Rs 3,200-crore Aircel-Maxis deal case. 

Chidambaram's son Karti is also one of the accused in the  Aircel-Maxis deal.

Responding to Chidambaram's plea, the special court had issued a notice to the CBI and sought its reply in this regard.

The court also posted the matter for hearing on October 8.