Chidambaram is an accused in the INX Media case and while dismissing his bail plea, the Delhi High Court said that 'prima facie he appears to be the prime prosecutor of the case'.
Chidambaram moved the Supreme Court for anticipatory bail on Tuesday, but the court refused an immediate hearing and asked to take the matter to the appropriate bench on Wednesday.
Even on Wednesday, Chidambaram could not get relief from the court. Now his petition will be heard on Friday.
On Tuesday evening, investigating agencies - CBI and ED officials - arrived at his house in Delhi to arrest Chidambaram but he was not found there.
After this, the investigating agencies pasted the notice outside his house in which he was asked to appear.
A lookout notice has also been issued against Chidambaram.
What is INX Media case
The CBI had filed an FIR against the media company INX Media on 15 May 2017.
It is alleged that the Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) approved a number of irregularities for taking foreign funds worth INR 305 crore to INX Media Group.
When the company was approved for investment during the year 2007, P Chidambaram used to be the finance minister.
Chidambaram came on the radar of the investigating agencies when INX Media promoter Indrani Mukherjee and her husband Peter Mukherjee were questioned by the ED.
The ED had also registered a case of money laundering in this regard in 2018.
According to a report in the Times of India, the ED wrote in its charge sheet, "Indrani Mukherjee told the investigating officers that Chidambaram had asked his son Karti Chidambaram to help him with foreign money in exchange for FIPB approval."
'Karti Chidambaram demanded money'
The CBI arrested P Chidambaram's son Karti Chidambaram from the Chennai airport on February 2018.
There were allegations against him that he had demanded one million dollars to stop a possible investigation against INX Media. Later, Karti Chidambaram got bail from the court.
The CBI says that Indrani Mukherjee, former director of INX Media, told her in her interrogation that Karthi had demanded money.
According to the investigating agency, the deal was settled in a five-star hotel in Delhi.
Indrani Mukherjee is in jail on the charge of killing her daughter Sheena Bora.
Aircel-Maxis is also named in the deal
The Central Investigation Agency is also investigating Chidambaram's role in the Rs 3500-crore Aircel Maxis deal.
In 2006, the Malaysian company Maxis acquired a 100 percent stake in Aircel. In this case, Chidambaram is accused of having committed irregularities in giving consent.
He was the Finance Minister in the first UPA government at the time of this deal in 2006. In this case, related to 2G, Chidambaram and his family have a case in the hawala case.
It is alleged that the finance minister's limit to approve foreign investment is just 600 crores, yet the Aircel-Maxis deal worth Rs 3500 crores was passed without the approval of the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs.
But P Chidambaram has always rejected all the charges against him and his son. According to him, the charges against him are motivated by political vendetta.
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