TheSupreme Court of India on Monday extended former Union Minister P Chidambaram'sCBI custody till Thursday for which he avoided the possibility o being sent toDelhi's Tihar Jail.
AdvocateKapil Sibal argued that Chidambaram is 74 and should be protected as he hasspent 11 days in CBI custody since his arrest on August 21.
Sibalfurther appealed the top court that there must be some protection toChidambaram. "He is 74 years old. Let him be put under house arrest and notsent to Tihar Jail," said Sibal to the apex court.
Chidambaramhas been put up in a suite in CBI custody at the guest-house floor of theagency's headquarters in New Delhi. If he is sent to judicial custody, then hewill be taken to the Tihar, Asia's largest prison facility.
Thetop court said that Chidambaram who was arrested by the CBI in a corruptioncase, should apply for regular bail before the competent court to which Sibalargued that it can't humiliate people like this wondering what would happen ifthe trial court rejected the request and sent him to jail.
Thecourt said that the house arrest was an option only for political prisoners. Moreover,Judges R Banumathi and AS Bopanna also questioned why Chidambaram was not makingthe request before the special CBI court which has to decide on his custody.
TheCBI, on the other hand, said that it was the special CBI court which has todecide on where the Congress leader should be held and insisted that he shouldbe granted no protection.
Theapex court finally ordered three more days of CBI custody and decided to takeup Chidambaram's case on Thursday.
