P Chidambaram Arrested by Probe Agency

FormerUnion Minister P Chidambaram has been arrested on Wednesday morning by athree-member team of the Enforcement Directorate (ED) after questioning him fornearly an hour at Tihar Jail in Delhi in the INX Media case. The arrest came aday after a special court agreed to the agency's request for his custodialinterrogation.

Chidambaramhas been in Tihar jail since September 5 in the money laundering case.

Theprobe agency will be moving the CBI court later in the day seeking Chidambaram'scustody. The application will be heard tomorrow.

Meanwhile, his wife Nalini and son Karti also went to jail this morning to meet him.

Karti, while quoted by news agency ANI after meeting his father said, "I came to meet my father. He is in good spirits. Whatever these procedural games are being played is for political theatrics. This is a bogus investigation."

Theprobe agency accuses Chidambaram of money laundering in the INX Media case onTuesday had moved two applications- to formally arrest Chidambaram and seek hiscustody.

Two options have been given to the agency by the court: To question Chidambaram at the court premises for half an hour and then move an application for custody, and sending him to Tihar jail for now and arresting him from there. The agency had settled for the second option.

Initially, the agency wanted to arrest him as soon as possible. The officials even suggested that Chidambaram can be interrogated at the Rouse Avenue court premises and then arrested but Judge intervened saying "dignity of the person should be considered".