‘No Material Evidence’: N Ram Condemns P Chidambaram’s Arrest

N Ram said the order by Justices Banumathi & Bopanna which rejected Chidambaram’s bail had many factual errors.

Former Union Minister P Chidambaram (Left) and THG Chairman N Ram (Right).

(Photo: Altered by The Quint)

Chairman of The Hindu Group Publications N Ram on Sunday, 15 September, slammed the arrest of former Union Minister P Chidambaram and said "monstrous injustice" has been done by sending him to jail despite the lack of material evidence against him in the INX Media case, according to The Hindu.

While there was no threat to the documents or the witnesses, the only evidence was the statement of the “murder accused” (Indrani and Peter Mukherjea), Ram said, adding that it is “a great shame that justice was not delivered in this case.”

Condemning the arrest at a meeting of the Tamil Nadu Congress Committee (TNCC), Ram alleged that it was an “orchestrated arrest” aided by the higher judiciary, especially the Delhi High Court, and that the only intention was to “deny him liberty as long as possible.”

“They have virtually adopted the case of the prosecution. For seven months, judgment was reserved. Just before the judge retired, the judgment came out depriving Chidambaram of any opportunity to appeal.”

N Ram, as quoted by<i> The Hindu</i>

'Many Factual Mistakes in the Order'

Ram also pointed that the order by Justices Banumathi and Bopanna which rejected Chidambaram's bail had many factual errors. “For example, they say P Chidambaram’s assets have been confiscated — [this is] completely wrong,” Ram said, according to The Hindu.

Further, Ram said a review petition before the same Bench or curative petition that will go before five judges has to be moved as quickly as possible.

Meanwhile, senior Congress leader Peter Alphonse called it a "political fight, and not a legal fight."

Congress MP K Jayakumar alleged that the BJP had targeted Chidambaram, even as it had turned a blind eye against big cases involving its own party men.

On Friday, 13 September, a Delhi court turned down the former Finance Minister's plea seeking to surrender in the money laundering case. Chidambaram is currently lodged in Tihar jail.

(With inputs from The Hindu.)