India: ‘No, thanks’, says Chidambaram to offer of seat in court

New Delhi: The spanking new Rouse Avenue court complex was unusually busy on Thursday as it awaited a most high-profile visitor, former Union Minister P. Chidambaram, who was produced in the court of Special Judge Ajay Kumar Kuhar after spending a night in Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) headquarters.

As he entered the jam-packed corridors, Chidambaram, dressed in a white shirt and dhoti, paused briefly to have a word with his lawyer wife, Nalini, who sat at the last desk in the courtroom. While Chidambaram was brought in around 3.15pm, Nalini had arrived hours ago along with MP son Karti Chidambaram, who is also an accused in INX Media case and is out on bail.

CBI personnel were all over the place and occupied every inch of space in the courtroom along with lawyers, journalists and visitors.

Sporting a smile, Chidambaram greeted people with folded hands as he appeared before the judge. His lawyers — senior advocates Kapil Sibal and Abhishek Manu Singhvi — argued his case for more than hour and a half and were locked in tense verbal duel with Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, representing the CBI.

All through the arguments, Chidambaram stood silently in the accused box, hearing attentively. He was offered a chair to which he replied: “No, Thanks.”

A large number of policemen had been deployed outside the court located on one of the busiest driveways in the national capital.