Chidambaram challenges CBI remand order in SC

Former Union Finance Minister P Chidambaram on Friday directly approached the Supreme Court, challenging the validity of the order passed by a Special Judge to send him to custodial interrogation of the CBI till August 26.

He questioned the validity of the orders by the Special CBI judge to issue a non-bailable warrant and custody remand against him on August 21 and 22 respectively.

"This court in exercise of its jurisdiction under Article 136 and 142 directly entertained a Special Leave Petition against the order passed by the Special Judge, without petitioner having approached the High Court, and set aside the same, if the said order is prima facie illegal and perverse," he contended in a fresh writ petition filed on Friday.

He claimed the orders passed by the Special CBI judge were "ex-facie illegal and without the authority of law". He said the CBI has been acting on the "behest of its political masters to settle political scores".

The liberty of the petitioner has been curtailed without following procedure established by law and hence "it is in teeth of Article 21 of Constitution which is non-negotiable," his petition contended.

Maintaining that since he had already challenged validity of Delhi High Court's order of August 20, rejecting his pre-arrest bail, he said, it was the policy of judicial discipline and propriety that a lower court should refrain from interfering or passing any coercive order, especially affecting a petition pending and likely to be adjudicated by a higher court.