Hours after the Supreme Court granted bail to P Chidambaram in the INX Media case, registered by ED, Rahul Gandhi said the Congress leader’s 106-day “incarceration was vengeful and vindictive”.

Taking to Twitter, the Congress MP said that he is glad that the Supreme Court has granted Chidambaram bail and exuded confidence that the former Finance Minister will be able to prove his innocence in a fair trial.

Advertisement

Mr P Chidambaram’s 106 day incarceration was vengeful & vindictive. I’m glad that the SC has granted him bail. I’m confident that he will be able to prove his innocence in a fair trial.

Advertisement

— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) December 4, 2019

A three-judge bench of the top court led by Justice R Banumathi granted P Chidambaram bail on Wednesday morning.

Granting him bail, the top court said that Chidambaram should not tamper with the evidence and not influence the witnesses. The court further ordered him not to give press interviews or make public statements in connection with the case.

The Supreme Court also directed P Chidambaram to furnish a bail bond of Rs 2 lakhs along with two sureties of the same amount. Chidambaram has also been ordered not to travel abroad without the court’s permission.

The Delhi High Court had on November 15 rejected his bail plea in the INX media case stating that prima facie the allegations are serious in nature and P Chidambaram played a “key and active role” in the money laundering case.

Observing that grant of bail in the case would send a wrong message, Court said that it is not inclined to give any relief to Chidambaram. Although the court clarified that its observations are not conclusive in nature.

Chidambaram was first arrested by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on August 21 in the INX Media corruption case and was granted bail by the Supreme Court on October 22. His arrest came after the Delhi High Court rejected his pre-arrest bail. He was in between arrested by the ED in the money laundering case on October 16.

Congress veteran Chidambaram is under probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and ED over alleged irregularities in the FIPB clearance granted to INX Media for receiving overseas funds of Rs 305 crore in 2007 during his tenure as Union Finance Minister.

Several party leaders welcomed the order granting bail to the former minister, with his lawyer and Congress colleague Abhishek Manu Singhvi describing the ruling as “excellent light after a rather long tunnel”.

The Congress party tweeted: “Truth finally prevails”.

However, the BJP hit out at the Congress over the SC order.

terming it a “classic case of celebrating corruption”.

Reacting to the news of the Congress leader being granted bail, BJP National spokesperson Sambit Patra took to Twitter to say that Chidambaram too has finally managed to join “coveted Out On Bail Club”.

In his post, the BJP leader mentioned Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, Shashi Tharoor and a few others, who are also out on bail in connection with other cases.