(Astrology, Vedic, Eook) - N. Chidambaram Iyer, Upendracharia- Jinendramala [of Upendracharia.]
P. Chidambaram vs Central Bureau of Investigation...
Transcript of P. Chidambaram vs Central Bureau of Investigation...
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SYNOPSIS
1. Petitioner is aggrieved by the impugned final judgment and
order dated 30.09.2019 passed by the Ld. Single Judge of the
Hon’ble High Court of Delhi at New Delhi in Bail Application No.
2270 of 2019 titled as P. Chidambaram vs Central Bureau of
Investigation (hereinafter referred to as the ‘impugnedjudgement’). Vide the impugned judgment, the Ld. Single has
refused to exercise the discretion of granting bail under Section
439 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973 and has dismissed
the regular bail application of the Petitioner.
2. The Petitioner is a Senior Advocate practicing in this Hon’ble
Court with 49 years of standing at the Bar, out of which, he has
35 years standing as a Senior Advocate. Currently, he is a
Member of Parliament (Rajya Sabha). He was formerly Union
Minister of Finance (1996-1998, 2004-2008 and 2012-2014) and
Union Minister of Home Affairs (2008-2012). He is a member of
the Indian National Congress, which is the principal Opposition
party in Parliament, and has been in public life for over 40 years.
The Petitioner is also a senior spokesperson of the Congress
party as well as a prominent and widely-read columnist.
3. The Petitioner, who is currently in judicial custody, has been
incarcerated for 42 days including maximum permissible period
of 15 days of CBI custody remand, and therefore, his continuing
incarceration is in the form of punishment as his custody can
neither be taken nor is required for the purpose of investigation.
4. The Ld. Single Judge declined bail despite categorically holding
that:
(a) The Petitioner is not a flight risk, and would be available for
facing trial;
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(b) No evidence has been placed on record that the Petitioner
has ever attempted or has in fact tampered with any evidence
or even capable of tampering evidence.
5. The only reason given by the Ld. Single Judge while rejecting
the regular bail is:-
“72. As argued by learned Solicitor General, (which is part
of ‘sealed cover’, two material witnesses (accused) have
been approached for not to disclose any information
regarding the petitioner and his son (co-accused). This Court
cannot dispute the fact that the petitioner has been a strong
Finance Minister and Home Minister and presently, Member
of Indian Parliament. He is respectable member of the Bar
Association of Supreme Court of India. He has long standing
in BAR as a Senior Advocate. He has deep root in the Indian
Society and may be some connection in abroad. But, the fact
that he will not influence witnesses directly or indirectly,
cannot be ruled out in view of the facts. Moreover, the
investigation is at advance stage, therefore, this Court is not
inclined to grant bail”.
6. At the outset, Firstly, the Petitioner categorically states that at
no point in time, whether prior to the lodging of the FIR dated
15.05.2017 or thereafter, has the Petitioner approached or
influenced any of the alleged material witnesses (accused) or
even attempted to do so, directly or indirectly. The Ld. Single
Judge has not even found that the Petitioner has approached or
influenced, or attempted to approach or influence, the two
material witnesses or accused, as set out in the impugned order.
Given that such an allegation was made in a sealed cover, the
Petitioner had no opportunity to show the allegation to be
demonstrably false. The liberty of the Petitioner has thus been
denied on the basis of the above baseless, anonymous and
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unverified allegation made behind the Petitioner’s back. This is
violative of the ‘procedure established by law’ and the
Petitioner’s right under Article 14 and 21 of the Constitution
because
7. Secondly, without prejudice to the above, even the alleged
statements of alleged material witnesses (accused) has no
evidentiary value since a co- accused can never be a witness in
the proceedings. Consequently, the conclusion of the Ld. Single
Judge is based on no material other than a false allegation made
in a sealed cover behind the back of the Petitioner. No
jurisprudential principle can be invoked in such circumstances
to deny the Petitioner bail on this ground alone.
8. Thirdly,
A) The reference to the two material witnesses (accused) having
being approached to not disclose information is not supported
by any material to show any personal meeting at any given place
or any other form of communication (such as SMS, Email, Letter,
Telephone calls etc.), which could lend any credibility to the
allegation made in the sealed cover.
B) In the absence of any contemporaneous credible material,
the Ld. Single Judge could not have relied upon any such
alleged statement given by the Respondent in a sealed cover.
C) It is not even the case of the Respondent that the Petitioner
himself or any person at his instance approached the alleged
material witnesses (accused). It is thus a travesty of justice that
on such a cooked-up allegation the Petitioner has been denied
his liberty.
D) Indeed, the handing over of material in the sealed cover and
getting the Investigating Officer to assist (as recorded in para 46
of the impugned judgement) is highly objectionable and
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operated as serious irreversible prejudice to the Petitioner and
is against all cannons of fair play and justice.
E) It is note-worthy to mention that this Hon’ble Court while
rendering judgment in Criminal Appeal No. 1340 of 2019, titled
P. Chidambaram Vs CBI @ Para 54, has deliberately and
consciously refrained from opening the sealed cover and
perusing the documents therein to avoid any prejudice to the
Petitioner herein.
9. Fourthly, in all the remand applications filed by the Respondent
dated 22.08.2019, 26.08.2019, 30.08.2019, 02.09.2019,
05.09.2019 and 19.09.2019, there is no allegation that any
material witnesses (accused) have been approached to not
disclose information about the Petitioner and his son. Therefore,
it is evident that the above allegation was made as an
afterthought in sealed cover only to prejudice the Petitioner’s
bail. In these circumstances, for the Ld. Single Judge to have
concluded that it cannot be ruled out that the Petitioner will not
influence witnesses directly or indirectly is ex-facie untenable,
particularly, since the CBI has not alleged that the Petitioner
himself approached the alleged two material witnesses
(accused). The basis on which the Ld. Single Judge came to the
above conclusion is not reflected in the impugned judgement.
Thus, the whole basis of denying the Petitioner bail is ex-facie
erroneous and violative of Article 14 and 21 of the Constitution.
10. Fifthly, it is settled proposition of law that a mere
apprehension without their being substantial evidence and
particulars of an accused approaching any witness, is not
enough to deny bail to an accused. However, Ld. Single Judge
despite holding that the Petitioner is not a flight risk and is not in
a position to tamper evidence has refused to grant bail on a
mere apprehension of the likelihood of petitioner influencing
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witness based on alleged statements of two alleged accused,
details of which are not even known to the Petitioner.
11. Sixthly, can the prosecution use the sealed cover procedure
to make an allegation, the substance of which (but not the
details) is not set out in the affidavit filed in response to the bail
petition, thus denying the Petitioner the opportunity to respond
to such allegations and to convince the Court that taken at its
face value, such an allegation has been manufactured to
prejudice the bail application of the Petitioner.
12. Further, the Ld. Single Judge has not appreciated the other
overwhelming considerations/ factors in favour of the Petitioner
for grant of bail, which are as under:-
a. The First Information Report being RC No RC2202017-E-
0011 is itself registered on 15.05.2017 and itself notes that
the period of offence is 2007-08, more than 11 years old.
b. The Petitioner is not named in the FIR. There is no reference
or allegation against the Petitioner in the FIR.
c. The Petitioner was always ready and willing to cooperate with
investigation and in fact joined the investigation on the sole
occasion when he was summoned by the Respondent on
06.06.2018. The Petitioner was never summoned again until
20.08.2019, for a period of about one and a half years,
despite being available for investigation.
d. All other accused persons are on bail, regular, anticipatory or
statutory. The Respondent has rightly not arrested any other
public servant as decisions have been taken by them as per
the prevailing policy.
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e. There is no allegation of any financial loss to the public
exchequer.
f. There is also no allegation of siphoning of any funds, and on
the contrary, the instant case is a case where a huge sum of
money in form of Foreign Direct Investment has come into
the Country as per the prevailing policies of the Government
of India.
g. As per normal procedure, the FDI proposal of INX Media was
processed by several officers in the FIPB Unit. Thereafter, it
was put up to the FIPB (comprising of 6 Secretaries), which
after due consideration, made its recommendations to the
Ministry of Finance. In the Ministry, the case was once again
examined by several officers (from the Under Secretary all
the way up to the Additional Secretary) of the Department of
Economic Affairs (DEA). Thereafter, the case was put up to
the Secretary, DEA (who had previously considered and
recommended the case as Chairman of the FIPB) who once
again signed the file and put it up to the competent authority
(Finance Minister) on 28.05.2007. The Petitioner approved
the file on the same day.
h. Similarly, the downstream approval was processed,
examined and recommended by all the above officers and
put up to the competent authority (Finance Minister) on
30.10.2008. The Petitioner approved the file on the same
day. From the above, it is evident no single officer can take a
decision on any proposal. It is a collective decision of six
Secretaries, assisted by several officers in the FIPB Unit and
the Department of Economic Affairs respectively. Therefore,
it is preposterous to allege that any person, such as the
Petitioner or the Petitioner’s son, could have influenced any
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official of the FIPB, including all 6 (Six) senior Secretaries to
the Government of India.
i. That none of the officers of the FIPB or of the Department of
Economic Affairs, Ministry of Finance have stated that they
were advised or directed or in any way influenced by the
Petitioner or his son, in any manner whatsoever, to grant the
FIPB approval to INX Media.
j. The FDI of Rs. 305 crores received by INX Media Ltd. (which
is the gravamen of the case) was reported to:
i. The Reserve Bank of India
ii. The Department of Industrial Policy & Promotion
(DIPP)
iii. Ministry of Information & Broadcasting
None of the above departments took objection that the
investment was in excess of the approved limit, since it was
well within the approved limit of 46.216%
k. Bail is the rule, jail is the exception. Arrest and custody are a
humiliation and social stigma. The prosecution seems to
think that prolonged judicial custody is a punishment they can
impose on the Petitioner. Courts should frown upon the
attempt of the prosecution to use judicial custody as a kind of
pre-trial punishment.
l. A fundamental principle of our criminal jurisprudence is that
every person is innocent until proved guilty and bail is the rule
and refusal is an exception.
i. Gurbaksh Singh Sibbia & Ors. Vs. State of
Punjab, [(1980) 2 SCC 565 @ Para 27 (5
Judges)]
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ii. Siddharam Satlingappa Mhetre Vs. State of
Maharashtra [(2011) 1 SCC 694 @ Para 86]
m. The Petitioner is 74 years old. His health is frail. He has been
kept in a cell and given food that he is not accustomed to. He
has already lost 4 kgs. weight in the period of judicial custody.
The Court may impose any conditions while granting bail.
13. A) Apart from the above, it is further submitted that, while
holding in Para 47 of the impugned judgment that only three
factors had to be seen while dealing with the bail application i.e.
(i) flight risk, (ii) tampering with evidence and (iii) influencing
witnesses, the Ld. Single Judge has rendered findings on the
merits of the case itself, at the stage of bail, when even the final
report has not been filed. As such, the Ld. Single Judge has held
contrary to his own finding in Para 47 and has considered factors
other than those relevant for the purpose of consideration of bail.
B) In any event under well-established bail jurisprudence these
purported findings shall be treated as having no effect in terms
of the merits of the case and/or the trial, if any which is yet to
begin.
C) It is reiterated that once the triple test as above has been
applied, mere subjective assessments of the gravity of the
offence, or observations/purported observations on merits
should not prejudice the Accused as far as his bail is considered.
D) If at all gravity of offence translating into purported
conclusions on merits is concerned, then the following clear
mandate of this Hon’ble Court in Sanjay Chandra v. CBI, (2012)1 SCC 40:
39. Coming back to the facts of the present case, both thecourts have refused the request for grant of bail on two grounds: the primary ground is that the offence alleged against the accused persons is very serious involving deep-rooted planning in which, huge financial loss is caused to the State exchequer;
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the secondary ground is that of the possibility of the accused persons tampering with the witnesses. In the present case, the charge is that of cheating and dishonestly inducing delivery of property and forgery for the purpose of cheating using as genuine a forged document. The punishment for the offence is imprisonment for a term which may extend to seven years. It is, no doubt, true that the nature of the charge may be relevant, but at the same time, the punishment to which the party may be liable, if convicted, also bears upon the issue. Therefore, in determining whether to grant bail, both the seriousness of the charge and the severity of the punishment should be taken into consideration.
(emphasis supplied)
14. The Petitioner had made submissions limited to the
applicability of certain Press Notes and the correctness of the
decisions taken by the FIPB and the Finance Ministry only to
show prima facie, for the purposes of grant of bail, that the
allegations against the Petitioner are not correct. However, the
Ld. Single Judge rendered conclusive findings on the merits of
the allegations itself to the prejudice of the Petitioner and his
impending trial, which approach is completely contrary to the law
laid down by this Hon’ble Court in Niranjan Singh & Anr. VsPrabhakar Rajaram Kharote & Ors., (1980) 2 SCC 559, Para3. The relevant portion is reproduced below:
“3….Detailed examination of the evidence and elaborate documentation of the merits should be avoided while passing orders on bail applications. No party should have the impression that his case has been prejudiced. To be satisfied about a prima facie case is needed but it is not the same as an exhaustive exploration of the merits in the order itself.”
15. Furthermore, the above conclusive findings have been
rendered on the basis of documents in sealed envelope, which
never formed part of the record and which were never shown to
the Petitioner to give him an opportunity to rebut. These
documents were submitted in a sealed cover at the conclusion
of the hearing and never formed part of the record of the bail
proceedings as they were not filed along with an Affidavit by the
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Respondent. Hence, it is submitted that the incarceration of the
Petitioner in judicial custody has been affirmed on basis of
documents:
a) the contents of which are unknown to the Petitioner;
b) the Petitioner was never afforded any opportunity to
controvert either the documents or the contents
thereof;
c) that such documents can never form part of a Case
Diary under Section 172 of the Code of Criminal
Procedure, 1973 and hence, can never be subject
matter of inspection / reliance by any court for the
purpose of consideration of Bail under Section 439 of
the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973.
7. Lastly, it is submitted that, again contrary to his own
observations in Para 47 vis-à-vis the three parameters for
consideration of bail, the Ld. Single Judge considered, and
incorrectly held that the instant case being an economic offence
constitutes a class apart. The instant case is in fact not an
economic offence in so far as the Respondent is concerned in
as much as there is no loss to the public exchequer in this case.
No public funds were involved in this case and it also not a case
of bank fraud or taking money out of the country or defrauding
depositors or stealing money from a company. On the contrary,
Rs. 305 Crore has come into INX Media (i.e. the investee
company) as FDI, well within the approval percentage of
46.216% of equity.
Hence the present Special Leave Petition.
LIST OF DATES
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01.04.1999 Government of India Ministry of Industry through
Department of Industrial Policy & Promotion
released a Press Note No. 7/(1999 series) on
01.04.1999.
True copy of the Press Note No. 7 (1999 series)
dated 01.04.1999 issued by the Government of
India Ministry of Industry is annexed herewith
and marked as ANNEXURE P-1
[PG……TO……]
12.04.1999 Government of India Ministry of Industry through
Department of Industrial Policy & promotion
released a Press Note No. 9/(1999 series),
wherein policy relating to the standard conditions
applicable to foreign owned Indian holding
companies requiring prior and specific approval
of FIPB / Government for downstream
investment was stated.
13.01.2006 That Government of India, Ministry of Commerce
and Industry through Department of Industrial
Policy and Promotion released a Press Note 1
(2006 Series) on Foreign Direct Investment (FDI)
in Uplinking of TV Channels. True copy of the
Press Note 1 (2006 Series) dated 13.01.2006
released by Joint Secretary to the Government
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of India is annexed herewith and marked as
ANNEXURE P-2 [PG……TO……]
10.02.2006 Government of India, Ministry of Industry through
Department of Industrial Policy & promotion
released Press Note No. 4 (2006 series). True
copy of the Press Note 4 (2006 Series) dated
10.02.2006 released by Joint Secretary to the
Government of India is annexed herewith and
marked as ANNEXURE P-3 [PG……TO……]
13.03.2007 An application was filed by INX Media Private
Limited with the Chairman Foreign Investment
Promotion Board (FIPB) inter alia seeking
approval of the FIPB for permission to issue
equity shares and preference shares collectively
representing approximately shares collectively
representing approximately 46.216% of the
issued equity share capital of INX Media.
True copy of the application dated 13.03.2007
filed by INX Media Private Limited before
Chairman Foreign Investment Promotion Board
is annexed herewith and marked as ANNEXURE
P-4 [PG…… TO……]
18.05.2007 Minutes of the 98th Meeting of the reconstituted
FIPB held on 18th May 2007 at 1500 hours,
recorded by Director (Inv & FIPB). True copy of
the relevant extract of the Minutes of the 98th
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Meeting of the FIPB held on 18th May 2007 at
1500 hours is annexed herewith and marked as
ANNEXURE P-5 [PG…… TO……]
31.05.2007 That Government of India, Ministry of Finance
through Department of Economic Affairs, FIPB
Unit sent an approval letter to INX Media Pvt. Ltd.
True copy of the Letter of Approval issued by
FIPB Unit Ministry of Finance to INX Media
Private Limited dated 31.05.2007 is annexed
herewith and marked as ANNEXURE P-6
[PG……TO……]
29.07.2008 Ms. Sunita Kalia, Member CBDT, Department of
Revenue, Ministry of Finance, Government of
India issued a letter dated 29.07.2008 to Ms.
Sindushree Khullar, Additional Secretary,
Department of Economic Affairs, Ministry of
Finance, Government of India.
Copy of the letter dated 29.07.2008 issued by
Ms. Sunita Kalia, Member CBDT, Department of
Revenue, Ministry of Finance, Government of
India to Ms. Sindushree Khullar, Additional
Secretary, Department of Economic Affairs,
Ministry of Finance, Government of India is
annexed herewith and marked as ANNEXURE
P-7 [PG……TO……]
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21.08.2008 An application dated 21.08.2008 filed by INX
News Private Limited with the Chairman, FIPB
inter alia seeking approval of the FIPB for
downstream investment from INX Media Pvt. Ltd
to the extent of 26% of the issued equity capital
of INX News Pvt. Ltd.
True copy of the application dated 21.08.2008
filed by INX Media Private Limited before
Chairman Foreign Investment Promotion Board
is annexed herewith and marked as ANNEXURE
P-8 [PG……TO……]
02.09.2008 A Letter written by Ms. Sindushree Khullar, the
then Additional Secretary, Department of
Economic Affairs, Ministry of Finance to CBDT
explaining Press Note No.7 of 1999 issued by
the Government of India, Ministry of Industry.
True copy of the letter dated 02.09.2008 written
by the then Additional Secretary, Department of
Economic Affairs, Ministry of Finance to CBDT is
annexed herewith and marked as ANNEXURE
P-9 [PG…… TO ……]
24.10.2008 Minutes of the 128th Meeting of the reconstituted
FIPB held on the 24th October 2008 at 1500
hours.
True copy of the Minutes of 128th Meeting of the
reconstituted FIPB held on the 24th October 2008
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at 1500 hours is annexed herewith and marked
as ANNEXURE P-10 [PG……TO……]
21.11.2008 That FIPB unit Ministry of Finance vide Letter
dated 21.11.2008 sent an approval letter to INX
Media Pvt. Ltd. True copy of letter of approval
issued by Government of India through Ministry
of Finance, Department of Economic Affairs,
FIPB Unit in favour of INX Media Pvt. Ltd is
annexed herewith and marked as ANNEXURE
P-11 [PG……TO……]
15.05.2017 CBI registered an RC No 2202017 E-0011 under
Section 120B read with section 420 IPC and
section 8 and 13(2) read with 13(1)(D) of the
Preventing of Corruption Act, wherein Petitioner
is neither named as an accused nor as a suspect
in the FIR. There is no allegation against the
Petitioner in the body of the subject FIR. Further,
the allegations in the subject FIR pertain to the
grant of an FIPB approval in 2007-08, for which
the subject FIR came to be registered after a
period of almost 10 years based on alleged ‘oral
source’ information.
True copy of FIR being no. RC 2202017-E-0011
dated 15.05.2017 registered by the Police of P.S.
CBI, EOU,IV/EO-II, New Delhi is annexed
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herewith and marked as ANNEXURE P-12
[PG……TO……]
23.03.2018 The Hon’ble High Court was pleased to grant
regular bail to Karti P. Chidambaram (son of
Petitioner) in Bail Application 573 of 2018. True
copy of the order dated 23.03.2018 passed by
the Hon’ble High Court of Delhi at New Delhi in
Bail Application No. 573 of 2018 is annexed
herewith and marked as ANNEXURE P-13
[PG……TO……]
04.04.2018 The Ld. Special Judge was pleased to grant
anticipatory bail to S. Bhaskararaman. True copy
of order dated 04.04.2018 passed by Ld. Special
Judge PC Act CBI-06, Patiala House Courts,
New Delhi in RC No. 220/2017 EC-0011 in the
case titled as CBI Vs. M/s INX News Private
Limited is annexed herewith and marked as
ANNEXURE P-14 [PG……TO……]
28.05.2018 That the Respondent issued a Notice dated
28.05.2018 bearing no. ‘01/4406’ u/s 41A of the
Cr.P.C. directing the Petitioner herein to appear
before the CBI on 31.05.2018 at 11.00 hours.
True copy of the Notice dated 28.05.2018
bearing no. ‘01/4406’ u/s 41A of the Cr.P.C is
annexed herewith and marked as ANNEXURE
P-15 [Pg……to…….]
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28.05.2018 The Ld. Special Judge was pleased to grant
default bail to Pritam Mukerjee @ Peter
Mukherjea.
True copy of order dated 28.05.2018 passed by
Ld. Special Judge PC Act CBI-06, Patiala House
Courts, New Delhi in RC No. 220/2017 EC-0011
in the case titled as CBI Vs.M/s INX News Private
Limited is annexed herewith and marked as
ANNEXURE P-16 [PG……TO……]
30.05.2018 That the Petitioner apprehending his arrest was
constrained to prefer a petition (being B.A. No.
1316/2018) before the Hon’ble High Court of
Delhi under Section 438 Cr.P.C. seeking grant of
anticipatory bail.
31.05.2018 That vide Order dated 31.05.2018, the Hon’ble
High Court was pleased to issue notice in the
abovementioned anticipatory bail Application
and was also pleased to grant interim protection
to the Petitioner, which interim protection
continued for a period of over 15 months.
06.06.2018 During the pendency of the above bail
application, the Petitioner was summoned by the
CBI to appear on 06.06.2018, on which date the
Petitioner duly appeared and answered all
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questions. Pertinently, the CBI did not summon
the Petitioner thereafter until 20.08.2019.
03.07.2018 That a short reply was filed by the Respondent
herein in the anticipatory bail application being
B.A. No. 1316 of 2018.
True copy of the short reply dated 03.07.2019
filed by the CBI in B.A. No. 1316 of 2018 is
annexed herewith and marked as ANNEXURE
P-17 [PG……TO…….]
03.08.2018 This Hon’ble Court in Central Bureau of
Investigation Vs. Karti P.Chidambaram, SLP
(Crl) No. 5499 of 2018 dismissed the said
Special Leave Petition without interfering with
the order of the High Court wherein Karti P.
Chidambaram was granted bail. True copy of the
order dated 03.08.2018 passed by this Hon’ble
Court in SLP (Crl) No. 5499 of 2018 is annexed
herewith and marked as ANNEXURE P-18
[Pg……to…….]
20.08.2019 The Hon’ble High Court was pleased to dismiss
the Petitioner’s abovementioned Anticipatory
Bail Application at around 15:15 hours.
True copy of the Order dated 20.08.2019 passed
by the Hon’ble High Court of Delhi at New Delhi
in Anticipatory Bail Application No 1316 of 2018
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is annexed herewith and marked as Annexure
P-19 [Pg…….to…….].
On the same day, the Counsels for the Petitioner
sought an urgent listing and made an oral
mention before the concerned officer of the
department of this Hon’ble Court and was
informed on or around 16.45 hours on
20.08.2019 that the permission has been
granted, by the Hon’ble Chief Justice of India, to
mention the matter at 10.30 AM on 21.08.2019
before the Senior Most Hon’ble Judge of this
Hon’ble Court. The said facts were widely
covered in the media and as such, it is submitted
that the CBI was well aware of the said facts.
True copy of the India Today media report dated
20.08.2019, is annexed herewith as ANNEXURE
P-20 [Pg……to…….].
20.08.2019 At around midnight on 20.08.2019, while the
Petitioner was preparing his challenge against
the Order dated 20.08.2019 with his lawyers, it
came to the Petitioner’s knowledge from media
reports that the CBI, in a completely mala fide
and illegal manner, and after a period of almost
15 months from the last summons, affixed a
notice outside the Petitioner’s residence
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directing him to appear before the CBI within 2
(Two) hours. Pertinently, the Notice failed to
mention the provision under which it was issued.
It is the Petitioner’s case that the CBI had to
issue a Notice u/s 41A Cr.P.C. in view of the
directions of the Hon’ble Supreme Court in
Arnesh Kumar Vs State of Bihar, reported in
(2014) 8 SCC 273, since all offences alleged in
the FIR were punishable up to 7 years at the time
of commission of the alleged offences.
Typed copy of the Notice dated 20.08.2019
issued by the CBI is annexed herewith as
ANNEXURE P-21 [Pg……to…….].
21.08.2019 The Petitioner duly responded to the said notice
vide Email dated 21.08.2019 sent through his
Counsel wherein it was inter alia stated as under:
“I am instructed to state that your Notice fails to
mention the provision of law under which
my Client has been issued a notice at
midnight calling upon him to appear at a
short notice of 2 (Two) hours. Furthermore,
kindly note that my Client is exercising the
rights available to him in law and had
approached the Hon’ble Supreme Court
on 20.08.2019 seeking urgent reliefs in
respect of the Order dated 20.08.2019
dismissing his anticipatory bail application
no. 1316/2018 in the captioned FIR.
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[…]
I therefore request you to not take any coercive
action against my Client till then.”
Typed copy of the Email dated 21.08.2019
issued by the Petitioner’s Counsel in response to
the Notice dated 20.08.2019 of the CBI is
annexed herewith as ANNEXURE P-22
[Pg……to…….].
21.08.2019 The Petitioner approached this Hon’ble Court
vide SLP (Crl.) No. 7525/2019 impugning the
Order dated 20.08.2019 passed by this Hon’ble
Court dismissing the Petitioner’s anticipatory bail
Application, which upon urgent mentioning, was
directed to be listed before the Hon’ble Chief
Justice of India for urgent hearing.
True copy of the Order dated 21.08.2019 passed
by the Hon’ble Supreme Court in SLP (Crl.) No.
7525/2019 is annexed herewith as ANNEXURE
P-23 [Pg……to…….].
21.08.2019 That despite the above, the CBI, without any
notice to the Petitioner, approached the Ld. Trial
Court for issuance of Non-Bailable Warrants
against the Petitioner and the Ld. Trial Court was
pleased to direct the issuance of the NBW’s.
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Pertinently, in the Application filed by the CBI
before the Ld. Trial Court, the Petitioner’s reply
(vide Email dated 21.08.2019) to the Notice
dated 20.08.2019 was not mentioned.
Furthermore, a perusal of the Order Sheet of
21.08.2019 of the Ld. Trial Court whereby the
NBW’s were issued, shows that the CBI did not
inform the Ld. Trial Court that the Petitioner’s
SLP was directed to be listed for urgent hearing
on 21.08.2019, despite a specific query by the
Ld. Trial Court, as recorded in the said order
sheet. As such, the CBI misled the Ld. Trial Court
to issue the NBW’s against the Petitioner herein.
Typed copy of the Application filed by the CBI for
issuance of the NBW’s dated 21.08.2019 before
Ld. Special Judge, PC Act (CBI)-09, Rouse
Avenue Court Complex New Delhi, is annexed
herewith as Annexure P-24 [Pg……to…….].
Typed copy of the Order dated 21.08.2019
passed by the Ld. Special Judge, PC Act (CBI)-
09, Rouse Avenue Court Complex New Delhi
issuing the NBW’s is annexed herewith as
Annexure P-25 [Pg……to…….].
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Despite the pendency of the abovementioned
SLP, the CBI, in a completely illegal and mala
fide manner, came to the Petitioner’s residence
at around 9.30-10 PM on 21.08.2019 and
arrested the Petitioner in pursuance of the said
Non-Bailable Warrants.
True copy of the Arrest Memo dated 21.08.2019
issued by the CBI is annexed herewith as
ANNEXURE P-26 [Pg……to…….].
22.08.2019 The Petitioner was thereafter produced before
the Ld. Trial Court on 22.08.2019 and the CBI
preferred an Application seeking 5 days police
remand.
True copy of the Application dated 22.08.2019
filed by the CBI seeking police remand before Ld.
Special Judge, PC Act (CBI)-09, Rouse Avenue
Court Complex New Delhi is annexed herewith
as ANNEXURE P-27 [Pg…… to…….].
That vide Order dated 22.08.2019, the Ld. Trial
Court was pleased to remand the Petitioner to
CBI custody till 26.08.2019.
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True copy of the Order dated 22.08.2019 passed
by the Ld. Special Judge, PC Act (CBI)-09,
Rouse Avenue Court Complex New Delhi is
annexed herewith as ANNEXURE P-28
[Pg……to…….].
26/27.08.2019 The Petitioner’s SLP being SLP (Crl.) No.
7525/2019 was listed before the Hon’ble
Supreme Court which dismissed it as infructuous
in view of the subsequent arrest of the Petitioner.
Vide Order dated 27.08.2019, the Hon’ble
Supreme Court was pleased to clarify the above
Order dated 26.08.2019 and directed as under:
“The contentions raised by both the parties are
left open to be considered at the
appropriate stage on their own merits
without being influenced by any of the
views expressed by the High Court in the
impugned order.”
True copy of the common Order dated
26.08.2019 passed by this Hon’ble Court in SLP
(Crl.) No. 7523/2019 and SLP (Crl.) No.
7525/2019 is annexed herewith as ANNEXURE
P-29 [Pg……to…….].
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In the meantime, on 26.08.2019, the Petitioner
was produced before the Ld. Trial Court and the
CBI sought further 5 days police remand.
True copy of the Application dated 26.08.2019
filed by the CBI seeking further 5 days police
remand is annexed herewith as ANNEXURE P-
30 [Pg……to…….].
Vide Order dated 26.08.2019, the Ld. Trial Court
was pleased to remand the Petitioner to further
CBI custody until 30.08.2019.
True copy of the Order dated 26.08.2019 passed
by the Ld. Special Judge, PC Act (CBI)-09,
Rouse Avenue Court Complex New Delhi in RC
No. 220 2017 E 0011 is annexed herewith as
ANNEXURE P-31 [Pg…… to…….].
True copy of the Order dated 27.08.2019 passed
by this Hon’ble Court in SLP (Crl.) No. 7523/2019
is annexed herewith as ANNEXURE P-32
[Pg……to…….].
30.08.2019/
02.09.2019 Thereafter, the Petitioner was produced before
the Ld. Trial Court on 30.08.2019 and
02.09.2019, on which dates the CBI sought
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further 5 days and 3 days police remand
respectively. Vide Orders dated 30.08.2019,
02.09.2019 and 03.09.2019, the Ld. Trial Court
was pleased to remand the Petitioner to further
CBI custody until 02.09.2019, 03.09.2019 and
05.09.2019 respectively.
True copy of the Application dated 30.08.2019
filed by the CBI seeking further 5 days police
remand is annexed herewith as ANNEXURE P-
33 [Pg……to…….].
True copy of the Order dated 30.08.2019 passed
by the Ld. Special Judge, PC Act (CBI)-09,
Rouse Avenue Court Complex New Delhi in RC
No. 220 2017 E 011 is annexed herewith as
ANNEXURE P-34 [Pg……to…….].
Typed copy of the Application dated 02.09.2019
filed by the CBI seeking further 5 days police
remand is annexed herewith as ANNEXURE P-
35 [Pg……to…….].
True copy of the Order dated 02.09.2019 passed
by the Ld. Special Judge, PC Act (CBI)-09,
Rouse Avenue Court Complex New Delhi in RC
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No. 220 2017 E 011 is annexed herewith as
ANNEXURE P-36 [Pg……to…….].
True copy of the Order dated 03.09.2019 passed
by the Ld. Special Judge, PC Act (CBI)-09,
Rouse Avenue Court Complex New Delhi in RC
No. 220 2017 E 011 is annexed herewith
as ANNEXURE P-37 [Pg……to…….].
02.09.2019 The Petitioner had also filed an application
seeking grant of interim bail before the Ld. Trial
Court in terms of the Order dated 02.09.2019
passed by the Hon’ble Supreme Court in SLP
(Crl.) No. 7618-19 of 2019. However, the said
Application became infructuous in terms of the
Order dated 05.09.2019 of the Hon’ble Supreme
Court in SLP (Crl.) No. 7618-19 of 2019, which is
explained hereinafter.
05.09.2019 Thereafter, on 05.09.2019, the Petitioner was
produced before the Ld. Trial Court and the CBI
sought judicial custody of the Petitioner.
True copy of the Application dated 05.09.2019
filed by the CBI seeking judicial custody of the
Petitioner is annexed herewith as ANNEXURE
P-38 [Pg……to…….].
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05.09.2019 Vide Order dated 05.09.2019, the Ld. Trial Court
was pleased to remand the Petitioner to judicial
custody until 19.09.2019.
True copy of the Order dated 05.09.2019 passed
by the Ld. Special Judge, PC Act (CBI)-09,
Rouse Avenue Court Complex New Delhi in RC
no. 220 2017 E 011 is annexed herewith as
ANNEXURE P-39 [Pg…… to…….].
Nil.09.2019 That the Petitioner in RC No. 2202017-E-0011
preferred a regular bail application under section
439 of Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973 before
the Hon’ble High Court in the case titled as P.
Chidambaram vs. CBI being Bail Application No.
2270 of 2019.
True copy of the Bail Application No. 2270 of
2019 filed by the Petitioner before the Hon’ble
High Court of Delhi at New Delhi dated nil
09.2019 is annexed herewith as ANNEXURE P-
40 [Pg……to…….].
12.09.2019 That the Hon’ble High Court of Delhi at New
Delhi in Bail Application No. 2270 of 2019 was
pleased to issue Notice and asked the CBI to file
response to the Bail Application.
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True copy of Order dated 12.09.2019 issued by
the Hon’ble High Court of Delhi at New Delhi in
Bail Application No. 2270 of 2019 is annexed
herewith as ANNEXURE P-41 [Pg……to…….].
19.09.2019 The judicial custody of the Petitioner has been
extended till 03.10.2019.
20.09.2019 Respondent- CBI filed its reply / Counter Affidavit
dated Nil to the Bail Application No. 2270 of 2019
before the Hon’ble High Court of Delhi.
09.2019 That the Petitioner herein filed Rejoinder to the
Counter Affidavit filed by the Respondent herein
in Bail Application No. 2270 of 2019 although the
same was not taken on record.
30.09.2019 During the course of arguments, both the
Petitioner and the Respondent handed over
written arguments. The Hon’ble High Court vide
the impugned order passed in Bail Application
No. 2270 of 2019 has been pleased to dismiss
the Application for regular bail filed by the
petitioner.
03.10.2019 Hence the present SLP.
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IN THE SUPREME COURT OF INDIA [S.C.R., ORDER XXII RULE 2(1)]
CRIMINAL APPELLATE JURISDICTION
SPECIAL LEAVE PETITION (Under Article 136 of the Constitution of India)
Special Leave Petition (CRL.) NO. _____ OF 2019
(ARISING OUT OF THE JUDGMENT AND FINAL ORDER DATED 30.09.2019 PASSED BY THE HON’BLE HIGH COURT OF DELHI AT NEW DELHI IN BAIL APPLICATION NO. 2270 OF 2019)
[WITH PRAYER FOR INTERIM RELIEF)
IN THE MATTER OF:- POSITION OF THE PARTIES Before High Court
Before this Court
Sh. P. Chidambaram S/o Late Shri Palaniappan R/o 115-A, Jorbagh, New Delhi-110003
Petitioner Petitioner
VERSUS
Central Bureau of Investigation 1st Floor, Plot No 5-B, CGO Complex, Lodhi Road, New Delhi-110003 Through the Director
Respondent Respondent
TO
THE HON’BLE CHIEF JUSTICE OF INDIA
AND HIS OTHER COMPANIONS JUDGES OF
THIS HON’BLE SUPREME COURT OF INDIA.
THE HUMBLE PETITION OF THE
PETITIONER ABOVE NAMED:-
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MOST RESPECTFULLY SHOWETH AS UNDER:-
1. The Petitioner seeks Special Leave to Appeal against the
impugned final judgment and order dated 30.09.2019 passed
by the Ld. Single Judge of the Hon’ble High Court of Delhi at
New Delhi in Bail Application No. 2270 of 2019 titled as P.
Chidambaram vs Central Bureau of Investigation whereby
the Ld. Single Judge has been pleased to reject the Petition
for Regular Bail filed by the Petitioner in case RC No
RC2202017-E-0011 dated 15.05.2017.
2. QUESTIONS OF LAW:
The following questions of law arise for the consideration by
this Hon’ble Court:-
A. Whether a mere apprehension that the Petitioner may
influence the witnesses, without any supporting material,
formed on the basis of unverified allegations that do not
allege or point anything against the Petitioner, is enough to
deny bail to the Petitioner under Section 439 Cr.P.C., when
the other factors i.e. flight risk and tampering of evidence are
in favour of the Petitioner?
B. Whether the High Court was justified in declining regular bail
to the Petitioner only on the basis of alleged statements of
co-accused that they have been approached to not disclose
information against the Petitioner, when these statements do
not point out that the Petitioner or any other person at his
instance has approached such co-accused?
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C. Whether the High Court was justified in declining regular bail
on the basis of a vague allegation of approaching a co-
accused without even disclosing any material particulars
about such allegations to the Petitioner?
D. Whether the High Court ought to have relied upon such an
unverified allegations of co-accused being approached while
declining bail to the Petitioner solely on that ground?
E. Whether the High Court ought to have given credence to the
fact that from the date of the FIR dated 15.05.2019 till the
date of the last remand application dated 19.09.2019, there
was no allegation that a material witnesses (accused) were
approached to not disclose information and that in these
circumstances, the allegations in the sealed cover were
manufactured only to influence the outcome of the bail
petition?
F. Whether the Respondent ought to have placed the allegation
of approaching co-accused on an affidavit and not by way of
a sealed cover, particularly when no such allegation is
levelled in the Counter Affidavit filed in response the
Petitioner’s bail application?
G. Whether handing over of material in sealed cover against a
bail petitioner by the Investigating Agency, without an
affidavit, and without affording him an opportunity to rebut the
same, is contrary to the ‘procedure established by law’ under
Article 21 of the Constitution?
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H. Whether the liberty of an accused can be curtailed and his
incarceration in judicial custody justified on basis of the
above procedure (production of documents in sealed
envelope), without there being any express provision in the
Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973 allowing such practice and
whether such practice would not be “a procedure established
by law” and hence, contrary to Article 21 of the Constitution
of India?
I. Whether economic offences constitute a class apart for the
purpose of exercise of jurisdiction under Section 439 of the
Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973 in spite of the law being to
be contrary by the Constitution Bench of this Hon’ble Court
in case of Gurbaksh Singh Sibbia Vs. State of Punjab,
(1980) 2 SCC 565, , Para 16 & 17?
J. Whether the High Court was justified in rendering conclusive
findings on merits of the case when it itself had rightly held
that there are only three parameters to be considered while
deciding a bail application viz. (i) flight risk; (ii) tampering with
evidence; and (iii) influencing witnesses?
K. Whether the High Court was justified in rendering findings on
merits of the case based on information/ material placed
before the High Court in a ‘sealed cover’ without affidavit, and
which information/ material was never even put to the
Petitioner during the course of the hearing?
L. Whether the approach of the High Court in rendering
conclusive findings on the merits of the case to the prejudice
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of the Petitioner and his impending trial, is contrary to the law
laid down by this Hon’ble Court in Niranjan Singh & Anr. Vs
Prabhakar Rajaram Kharote & Ors., (1980) 2 SCC 559,
Para 3?
3. DECLARATIONS IN TERMS OF RULE 2(2) :
The Petitioner states that no other petition seeking leave to
appeal under Article 136 of the Constitution of India has been
filed by him against the impugned judgment and final order
dated 30.09.2019 passed by the Hon’ble High Court of Delhi
at New Delhi in Bail Application No. 2270 of 2019.
4. DECLARATION IN TERMS OF RULE 4:
The Annexure P-1 to Annexure P-41 produced along with the
Special Leave Petition are the copies of the pleadings/
documents which formed part of the records in the High Court
against whose order the leave to appeal is sought for in this
Petition.
5. GROUNDS :
The Petitioner prefers this petition under Article 136 of the
Constitution of India for Special Leave to appeal from the
impugned judgment and final order dated 30.09.2019 passed
by the Hon’ble High Court of Delhi in Bail Application No.
1316/2018 on the following amongst other grounds, taken
without prejudice to each other:
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A) Because the Ld. Single Judge erred in dismissing the
Petitioner’s bail application on a mere apprehension that the
Petitioner may influence the witnesses, without any
supporting material, which apprehension was formed on the
basis of unverified allegations that do not allege or point
anything against the Petitioner, when the other factors i.e.
flight risk and tampering of evidence were held in favour of
the Petitioner.
B) Because the Ld. Single Judge was not justified in declining
regular bail to the Petitioner only on the basis of alleged
statements of co-accused that they have been approached
to not disclose information against the Petitioner, when these
statements do not point out that the Petitioner or any other
person at his instance approached such co-accused.
C) Because the Ld. Single Judge was not justified in declining
regular bail on the basis of vague allegation of approaching
a co-accused without even disclosing any material particulars
about such allegations to the Petitioner.
D) Because the Ld. Single Judge ought to have given an
opportunity to the Petitioner to rebut the anonymous and
unverified allegations of co-accused being approached
before declining bail to the Petitioner solely on that ground.
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E) Because the Ld. Single Judge ought to have given credence
to the fact that from the date of the FIR dated 15.05.2019 till
the date of the last remand application dated 19.09.2019,
there was no allegation that a material witnesses (accused)
were approached to not disclose information and that in
these circumstances, the allegations in the sealed cover
were manufactured only to influence the outcome of the bail
petition
F) Because the Ld. Single Judge erred in not appreciating that
the Respondent ought to have placed the allegation of
approaching co-accused on an affidavit and not by way of a
sealed cover, particularly when no such allegation is levelled
in the Counter Affidavit filed in response to the Petitioner’s
bail application.
G) Because the Ld. Single Judge has not even found that the
Petitioner has approached or influenced, or attempted to
approach or influence, the two material witnesses or
accused, as set out in the impugned order and despite the
same denied bail to the Petitioner. Further, given that such
an allegation was made in a sealed cover, the Petitioner had
no opportunity to show the allegation to be demonstrably
false. The liberty of the Petitioner has thus been denied on
the basis of the above baseless, anonymous and unverified
allegation made behind the Petitioner’s back. This is violative
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37
of the ‘procedure established by law’ and the Petitioner’s right
under Article 14 and 21 of the Constitution because
H) Because without prejudice to the above, even the alleged
statements of alleged material witnesses (accused) has no
evidentiary value since a co- accused can never be a witness
in the proceedings. Consequently, the conclusion of the Ld.
Single Judge is based on no material other than a false
allegation made in a sealed cover behind the back of the
Petitioner. No jurisprudential principle can be invoked in such
circumstances to deny the Petitioner bail on this ground
alone.
I) Because the Ld. Single Judge failed to appreciate that the
reference to the two material witnesses (accused) having
being approached to not disclose information is not
supported by any material to show any personal meeting at
any given place or any other form of communication (such as
SMS, Email, Letter, Telephone calls etc.), which could lend
any credibility to the allegation made in the sealed cover. In
the absence of any contemporaneous credible material, the
Ld. Single Judge could not have relied upon any such alleged
statement given by the Respondent in a sealed cover.
J) Because the Ld. Single Judge failed to appreciate that in all
the remand applications filed by the Respondent dated
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22.08.2019, 26.08.2019, 30.08.2019, 02.09.2019,
05.09.2019 and 19.09.2019, there is no allegation that any
material witnesses (accused) have been approached to not
disclose information about the Petitioner and his son.
Therefore, it is evident that the above allegation was made
as an afterthought in sealed cover only to prejudice the
Petitioner’s bail. In these circumstances, for the Ld. Single
Judge to have concluded that it cannot be ruled out that the
Petitioner will not influence witnesses directly or indirectly is
ex-facie untenable, particularly, since the CBI has not alleged
that the Petitioner himself approached the alleged two
material witnesses (accused). The basis on which the Ld.
Single Judge came to the above conclusion is not reflected
in the impugned judgement. Thus, the whole basis of denying
the Petitioner bail is ex-facie erroneous and violative of
Article 14 and 21 of the Constitution.
K) Because the prosecution could not have used the sealed
cover procedure to make an allegation, the substance of
which (but not the details) was not set out in the affidavit filed
in response to the bail petition, thus denying the Petitioner
the opportunity to respond to such allegations and to
convince the High Court that taken at its face value, such an
allegation has been manufactured to prejudice the bail
application of the Petitioner.
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L) Because the High Court failed to appreciate that the handing
over of material in sealed cover against a Petitioner by the
Respondent, without an affidavit, and without affording him
an opportunity to rebut the same, is contrary to the ‘procedure
established by law’ under Article 21 of the Constitution.
M) Because the liberty of the Petitioner cannot be curtailed and
his incarceration in judicial custody justified on basis of the
above procedure (production of documents in sealed
envelope), without there being any express provision in the
Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973 allowing such practice and
that such practice is not be “a procedure established by law”
and hence, contrary to Article 21 of the Constitution of India.
N) Because the finding of the High Court that economic offences
constitute a class apart for the purpose of exercise of
jurisdiction under Section 439 of the Code of Criminal
Procedure, 1973 is contrary to the law laid down by the
Constitution Bench of this Hon’ble Court in case of Gurbaksh
Singh Sibbia Vs. State of Punjab, (1980) 2 SCC 565, , Para
16 & 17.
O) Because the High Court while holding in Para 47 of the
impugned judgment that only three factors had to be seen
while dealing with the bail application i.e. (i) flight risk, (ii)
tampering with evidence and (iii) influencing witnesses, has
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rendered findings on the merits of the case itself, at the stage
of bail, when even the final report has not been filed. As such,
the Ld. Single Judge has held contrary to his own finding in
Para 47 and has considered factors other than those relevant
for the purpose of consideration of bail.
P) Because the High Court was not justified in rendering
findings on merits of the case based on information/ material
placed before the High Court in a ‘sealed cover’ without
affidavit, and which information/ material was never even put
to the Petitioner during the course of the hearing.
Q) Because the Petitioner had made submissions limited to the
applicability of certain Press Notes and the correctness of the
decisions taken by the FIPB and the Finance Ministry only to
show prima facie, for the purposes of grant of bail, that the
allegations against the Petitioner are not correct. However,
the Ld. Single Judge rendered conclusive findings on the
merits of the allegations itself to the prejudice of the Petitioner
and his impending trial, which approach is completely
contrary to the law laid down by this Hon’ble Court in
Niranjan Singh & Anr. Vs Prabhakar Rajaram Kharote &
Ors., (1980) 2 SCC 559, Para 3. The relevant portion is
reproduced below:
“3….Detailed examination of the evidence and elaborate documentation of the merits should be avoided while passing
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orders on bail applications. No party should have the impression that his case has been prejudiced. To be satisfied about a prima facie case is needed but it is not the same as an exhaustive exploration of the merits in the order itself.”
R) Because the High Court ought to have clarified/held that the
findings rendered were only prima facie for the purposes of
bail and should not have any bearing on the other
proceedings, particularly the impending trial and failure to do
so have rendered the impugned order untenable.
S) Because the above conclusive findings have been rendered
by the High Court on the basis of documents in sealed
envelope, which never formed part of the record and which
were never shown to the Petitioner to give him an opportunity
to rebut. These documents were submitted in a sealed cover
at the conclusion of the hearing and never formed part of the
record of the bail proceedings as they were not filed along
with an Affidavit by the Respondent. Hence, it is submitted
that the incarceration of the Petitioner in judicial custody has
been affirmed on basis of documents:
a) the contents of which are unknown to the Petitioner;
b) the Petitioner was never afforded any opportunity to
controvert either the documents or the contents
thereof;
c) that such documents can never form part of a Case
Diary under Section 172 of the Code of Criminal
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Procedure, 1973 and hence, can never be subject
matter of inspection / reliance by any court for the
purpose of consideration of Bail under Section 439 of
the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973.
T) Because the Ld. Single Judge while dismissing the Regular
Bail, has not appreciated the other overwhelming
considerations/ factors in favour of the Petitioner, which are
as under:-
a. The First Information Report being RC No RC2202017-
E-0011 is itself registered on 15.05.2017 and itself
notes that the period of offence is 2007-08, more than
11 years old.
b. The Petitioner is not named in the FIR. There is no
reference or allegation against the Petitioner in the FIR.
c. The Petitioner was always ready and willing to
cooperate with investigation and in fact joined the
investigation on the sole occasion when he was
summoned by the Respondent on 06.06.2018. The
Petitioner was never summoned again until
20.08.2019, for a period of about one and a half years,
despite being available for investigation.
d. All other accused persons are on bail, regular,
anticipatory or statutory. The Respondent has rightly
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not arrested any other public servant as decisions have
been taken by them as per the prevailing policy.
e. There is no allegation of any financial loss to the public
exchequer.
f. There is also no allegation of siphoning of any funds,
and on the contrary, the instant case is a case where a
huge sum of money in form of Foreign Direct
Investment has come into the Country as per the
prevailing policies of the Government of India.
g. As per normal procedure, the FDI proposal of INX
Media was processed by several officers in the FIPB
Unit. Thereafter, it was put up to the FIPB (comprising
of 6 Secretaries), which after due consideration, made
its recommendations to the Ministry of Finance. In the
Ministry, the case was once again examined by several
officers (from the Under Secretary all the way up to the
Additional Secretary) of the Department of Economic
Affairs (DEA). Thereafter, the case was put up to the
Secretary, DEA (who had previously considered and
recommended the case as Chairman of the FIPB) who
once again signed the file and put it up to the
competent authority (Finance Minister) on 28.05.2007.
The Petitioner approved the file on the same day.
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h. Similarly, the downstream approval was processed,
examined and recommended by all the above officers
and put up to the competent authority (Finance
Minister) on 30.10.2008. The Petitioner approved the
file on the same day. From the above, it is evident no
single officer can take a decision on any proposal. It is
a collective decision of six Secretaries, assisted by
several officers in the FIPB Unit and the Department of
Economic Affairs respectively. Therefore, it is
preposterous to allege that any person, such as the
Petitioner or the Petitioner’s son, could have influenced
any official of the FIPB, including all 6 (Six) senior
Secretaries to the Government of India.
i. That none of the officers of the FIPB or of the
Department of Economic Affairs, Ministry of Finance
have stated that they were advised or directed or in any
way influenced by the Petitioner, in any manner
whatsoever, to grant the FIPB approval to INX Media.
j. Bail is the rule, jail is the exception. Arrest and custody
are a humiliation and social stigma. The prosecution
seems to think that prolonged judicial custody is a
punishment they can impose on the Petitioner. Courts
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should frown upon the attempt of the prosecution to
use judicial custody as a kind of pre-trial punishment.
k. A fundamental principle of our criminal jurisprudence is
that every person is innocent until proved guilty and
bail is the rule and refusal is an exception.
(i) Gurbaksh Singh Sibbia & Ors. Vs. State of
Punjab, [(1980) 2 SCC 565 @ Para 27 (5
Judges)]
(ii) Siddharam Satlingappa Mhetre Vs. State of
Maharashtra [(2011) 1 SCC 694 @ Para 86]
l. The Petitioner is 74 years old. His health is frail. He has
been kept in a cell and given food that he is not
accustomed to. He has already lost 4 kgs. weight in the
period of judicial custody.
U) Because the Ld. Single Judge, again contrary to his own
observations in Para 47 vis-à-vis the three parameters for
consideration of bail, incorrectly considered that the instant
case, being an economic offence, constitutes a class apart.
It is submitted that the instant case is in fact not an economic
offence in so far as the Respondent is concerned in as much
as there is no loss to the public exchequer in this case. No
public funds were involved in this case and it also not a case
of bank fraud or taking money out of the country or defrauding
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depositors or stealing money from a company. On the
contrary, Rs. 305 Crore has come into INX Media (i.e. the
investee company) as FDI, well within the approval
percentage of 46.216% of equity.
V) Because the findings of the Hon’ble High Court in the
impugned judgment are not only legally but also factually
wrong.
W) Because since the Ld. Single Judge has rendered firm
conclusive findings in respect of the applicability of Press No.
7 (1999 series) and various approvals granted by the FIPB,
and also given findings on official acts of various public
servants who were charged with the responsibility of applying
Press Note 7, it has become imperative for the Petitioner to
state that the Petitioner at no stage invited the Ld. Single
Judge to render any such findings. The submissions were
made only in the context of seeking to prima facie
demonstrate to the Ld. Single Judge the applicability of Press
Note 1, 4 and 7 and the steps taken by officials of the FIPB
and Ministry of Finance at various stages. Consequently, the
Petitioner is duty bound to demonstrate that the Ld. Single
Judge has erroneously interpreted the press notes and the
official acts of the public servants involved in the decision-
making process. The Petitioner is not inviting this Hon’ble
Court to render any findings on the merits. The Petitioner
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merely attempted to demonstrate that the Petitioner had a
prima facie arguable case and it is only in the course of the
trial, if any that such findings can be rendered.
X) Because the findings rendered on the non-applicability of the
Press Note 7 in the instant case and that INX Media does not
come under category (a) and (b) companies mentioned in the
said press note are conclusive findings on merits and ought
not have been given while deciding the Petitioner’s bail
application. Without prejudice to the same, it is submitted that
the said findings are without any reasons and completely
untenable.
Y) Because the Ld. Single Judge failed to appreciate that INX
Media Ltd. was an Indian Company with Indian shareholders
and had invited FDI from foreign investors upto 46.216%.
Therefore, 53.784% was with Indian shareholders and it was
thus, a joint venture company.
Z) Because the finding by Ld. Single Judge that if INX Media
Ltd. was in category (a) or (b) of Press Note 7, there was no
occasion for the said company to seek approval of FIPB/GOI,
proceeds on a completely incorrect and erroneous reading of
Press Note 7. It is submitted that INX Media did seek
approval from the FIPB and was granted the same, for the
investment of FDI upto 46.216%. The question was not of the
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initial approval upto 46.216% but for increase in the amount
of foreign equity without change in the percentage of equity,
for which Press Note 7 was applicable and which stated, that
no permission was required for the same. Press Note 7
(1999) series was thus cited by the Petitioner to show, prima
facie, that there is a valid explanation for the investment of
Rs. 305 crores which was within the approval percentage of
46.216% of the issued equity.
AA) Because the finding by the Ld. Single Judge in para 56-58
regarding the Reply dated 02.09.2008 written by Ms.
Sindhushree Khullar, Additional Secretary, Department of
Economic Affairs, Ministry of Finance, GOI, in response to
Letter dated 29.07.2008 of Member, CBDT & Ex- Officio
Additional Secretary, to Government of India, and holding the
said letter to be without jurisdiction and having no relevance
is factually wrong and contrary to the record of the case. It is
submitted that bare perusal of the Letter dated 29.7.2008
written by CBDT would reveal that the same was addressed
to Ms. Sindhushree Khullar in the Department of Economic
Affairs and that the same was put up by the FIPB and Joint
Secretary for her signatures. The Ld. Single Judge further
failed to appreciate that it was only the FIPB which could
have drafted the letter. Therefore, the said letter could not
have been without jurisdiction.
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BB) Because the Ld. Single Judge failed to appreciate that the
FDI of Rs. 305 crores in INX Media Ltd. was reported to:
a. The Reserve Bank of India
b. The Department of Industrial Policy & Promotion
(DIPP)
c. Ministry of Information & Broadcasting
None of the above departments took objection that the
investment was in excess of the approved limit, since it was
well within the limit of 46.216%.
CC) Because the Ld. Single Judge failed to appreciate that the
initial approval of 46.216% was on basis of Application dated
13.3.2007 of INX Media Ltd. which sought permission in
terms of percentage and did not mention any amount and
that, the permission dated 31.5.2007 was also in terms of
percentage and nowhere refers to amount of investment. The
approval was given to INX Media for only the percentage of
equity i.e. 46.216% and not Rs. 4.62 crores, as wrongly
recorded in paragraph 62 of the impugned judgement.
Therefore, the findings in Para 60-62 are contrary to the
record.
DD) Because the finding in para 65 of the impugned judgement
that the Complaints were not sent to the Board and were only
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marked to the Revenue Secretary, whose representative in
the meeting of the Board dissented to the downstream
proposal, is also incorrect and the Ld. Single Judge has
failed to appreciate:-
i. that Revenue Secretary himself is part of the FIPB
Board
ii. That, the minutes of the 128th meeting of FIPB dated
24.10.2008 shows that Revenue Secretary was
represented.
EE) Because the finding in para 66 of the impugned judgement
that Indrani Mukherjee and Peter Mukherjee (Accused) met
the Petitioner and that ‘illegal gratification’ was paid is denied
and disputed. Therefore, the Ld. Single Judge by rendering
this conclusive finding at the stage of bail itself has committed
a grave error in law.
FF) Because the finding in para 67 of the impugned judgment
that large sums of monies has come into the companies
owned and/ or controlled by co-conspirator- Karti P.
Chidambaram and large number pf emails have been
exchanged between representatives of INX MEDIA and
company controlled by Petitioner and his son are also denied
and disputed. Notwithstanding the fact that the Ld. Single
Judge by rendering these conclusive finding at the stage of
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bail itself has committed a grave error in law, it is submitted
that Petitioner is neither a shareholder or Director in any of
the said companies. There is not even an iota of evidence
that the Petitioner has any relation with the said companies
or has received any money or illegal gratification.
GG) Because the Ld. Single Judge failed to appreciate that there
was not even an iota of evidence that any payment (other
than a payment of Rs. 10 lakhs) was made by INX
Media/News to any company or entity belonging to or
controlled by the Petitioner’s son. Even the payment of Rs.
10 lakhs is alleged to have been made to a company of which
the Petitioner’s son is neither a shareholder or a director.
HH) Because the Ld. Single Judge failed to appreciate that INX
Media sought approval for FDI in a proposed TV channel up
to 46.216 per cent of the issued equity capital. The policy
allowed investment up to 74 per cent of the equity. FIPB Unit
examined the proposal, found it to be in order and submitted
the case to the FIPB. FIPB consisted of 6 Secretaries to the
Government of India and was chaired by the Secretary,
Economic Affairs. FIPB unanimously recommended the
proposal and placed it before the Finance Minister for his
approval, along with several other proposals. The Finance
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52
Minister (i.e. the Petitioner herein) granted the approval in the
normal course of official business.
II) BECAUSE the Ld. Single Judge failed to appreciate that on
21-1-2019, CBI is learned to have sought sanction to
prosecute the Petitioner. It can therefore be inferred that the
CBI had concluded its investigation, prepared the draft
charge sheet, and was ready to file the same in the trial court,
subject to sanction being granted.
JJ) BECAUSE the Ld. Single Judge failed to appreciate that
while seeking sanction for prosecution, it is necessary to
submit a draft charge-sheet to the sanctioning authority. It
has been so held in CBI Vs. Ashok Kumar Aggarwal, 2014
(14) SCC 295, para 16.1 which inter alia, reads:-
“The prosecution must send the entire relevant record to the sanctioning authority including the FIR, disclosure statements, statements of witnesses, recovery memos, draft charge-sheet and all other relevant material”
KK) BECAUSE the Ld. Single Judge failed to appreciate that
there was no prima facie case against the Petitioner under
the four offences mentioned in the FIR. This is explained in
the table below:
S. NO.
SECTION CBI
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420, IPC ● Ingredients of Section are not
satisfied.
● No one has complained of being
cheated by or complained of being
induced to deliver any property to any
person.
120B, IPC ● Punishment for Part II is only 6
months and the said offence is
bailable.
● No officer of FIPB has said that the
Petitioner or his son or anyone else
spoke to them about the INX Media
case.
13(1)(d),
PC Act
● Section repealed and re-enacted
w.e.f. 26.07.2018. Hence, no
proceeding under repealed section
will survive.
efer: Kolhapur Canesugar Works Ltd.
v. Union of India, reported in (2000)
2 SCC 536 @ Para 37].
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8, PC Act ● There is no allegation in the FIR that
the Petitioner accepted or agreed to
accept any gratification as a motive
or reward for inducing any public
servant. Hence, prima facie, the
accusation under Section 8 PC Act
does not apply to the Petitioner.
LL) BECAUSE the Ld. Single Judge failed to appreciate that by
Order dated 23-3-2018, a coordinate bench of the same High
Court had granted bail to the Petitioner’s son and made
several pertinent observations that, prima facie, rule out any
undue influence or inducement. No public official was named
as an accused in the FIR. No public official stated during
investigation that anyone had induced or influenced him. No
public official has been arrested in this case by the CBI. In
the circumstances, to deny bail to the Petitioner alone is
unjust and opposed to all notions of justice.
MM) BECAUSE the Ld. Single Judge failed to appreciate that only
three persons were arrested and all of them are on bail.
Name CBI
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Karti P. Chidambaram Granted regular bail by the Hon’ble
High Court vide Order dated
23.03.2018.
CBI’s appeal (being SLP (Crl.) No.
5449/2018) against the above Order
has been dismissed by this Hon’ble
Court on 03.08.2018.
S. Bhaskararaman Granted anticipatory bail vide Order
04.04.2018 by the Ld. Special Judge.
Indrani Mukherjea Granted statutory bail vide Order dated
13.04.2018 by the Ld. Special Judge.
Peter Mukherjea Granted statutory bail vide Order dated
28.05.2018 by the Ld. Special Judge.
NN) BECAUSE the Ld. Single Judge failed to take into account
the fact that Karti Chidambaram had been granted bail in the
CBI’s case by the High Court vide Order dated 23.03.2018
and the said Order has been confirmed by this Hon’ble Court
vide Order dated 03.08.2018. If Karti Chidambaram and the
other three persons have been granted bail, it is manifestly
unjust and illegal to deny bail to the Petitioner who has not
even been remotely associated with anything which has been
referred to by the Ld. Single Judge in the impugned order.
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OO) Because the Ld. Single Judge has failed to deal with the
Petitioner’s argument that his arrest was illegal.
PP) Because the Ld. Single Judge failed to appreciate that in
Gurbaksh Singh Sibbia v. State of Punjab, (1980) 2 SCC
565, this Hon’ble Court held that:
27. ….. An accused person who enjoys freedom is in a muchbetter position to look after his case and to properly defend himself than if he were in custody. As a presumably innocent person he is therefore entitled to freedom and every opportunity look after his own case. A presumably innocent person must have his freedom to enable him to establish his innocence.
Therefore, the Petitioner was entitled to grant of bail by the
High Court.
6. GROUNDS FOR INTERIM RELIEF:
a) Petitioner states that the Petitioner has set out all the relevant
facts in detail in the accompanying List of Dates and the
Petitioner craves leave of this Hon’ble Court to refer to and
rely upon the same as if incorporated herein verbatim for the
sake of brevity. The Petitioner submits that the Petitioner has
good case on merits and is likely to succeed before this
Hon’ble Court. The Petitioner states that the Petitioner has
made out a prima facie case on merits and the balance of
convenience is also in favour of the Petitioner. Therefore, it
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is desirable in the interest of justice that during the pendency
of the proceedings before this Hon’ble Court, the interim relief
as prayed for herein be granted or else the Petitioner shall
suffer irreparable loss.
b) That the Petitioner is law abiding citizen and has reputation
to sustain in the society. He is a sitting Member of Parliament
(Rajya Sabha). The antecedents of the Petitioner are
impeccable. There is no possibility of his fleeing from justice.
Custodial interrogation at the instance of the CBI is no more
permissible as the Petitioner has been interrogated for the
maximum period of 15 days in police custody and is now in
judicial custody.
c) That, the Petitioner has spent more than 40 days in custody
and the Hon’ble High Court has itself held that there is no
chance of the Petitioner tampering with evidence and that the
evidence in the case, which is documentary in nature is
already in custody of the Investigating Agency/ Government.
d) That, the Petitioner has deep roots in the society and the
Hon’ble High Court itself has held that the Petitioner is not a
flight risk.
7. MAIN PRAYERThe Petitioner therefore, prays that in the interest of justice
and equity, this Hon’ble Court be pleased to:-
A) Grant Special Leave to Appeal under Article 136 of the
Constitution of India against the impugned judgment and final
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order dated 30.09.2019 passed by the Hon’ble High Court of
Delhi at New Delhi in Bail Application No. 2270 of 2019;
B) Pass any other order and/or directions as this Hon’ble Court
may deem fit and proper.
8. PRAYER FOR INTERIM RELIEF:
During the pendency and final disposal of present Special
Leave Petition, Your Lordships will be pleased to:-
A) Grant Interim bail to the Petitioner in FIR bearing No. RC-
2202017-E-0011 dated 15.05.2017 under Sections 120-B
read with 420 of the Indian Penal Code, 1860 and Section 8
and Section 13(2) read with Section 13(1)(d) of the
Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 registered by the Central
Bureau of Investigation;
B) Pass any other order and/or direction as this Hon’ble Court
may deem fit and proper.
AND FOR THIS ACT OF KINDNESS AND JUSTICE, PETITIONER
AS IN DUTY BOUND SHALL EVER PRAY.
DRAWN BY FILED BY:
(ARSHDEEP SINGH & (Ms. Pallavi Langar) AKSHAT GUPTA) Advocate for the Advocate
Petitioner
DRAWN ON: 30.09.2019 FILED ON: 03.10.2019 PLACE: NEW DELHI
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