SC Lawyers Protest against Denial of Urgent Hearing for Chidambaram’s Bail Application, Say ‘Rule of Law in Peril’

In a statement issued by a group of Supreme Court (SC) lawyers, it read: The denial of urgent listing a matter of anticipatory bail of a senior member of the bar leads us to conclude the rule of law and democracy are in peril.

This group of SC advocates has urged the SC Bar Association to issue a statement to protest the refusal of the SC to grant an urgent hearing for the bail plea made on Wednesday by Senior Advocate and former Union Finance Minister P Chidambaram. 

The statement was signed by nearly 140 lawyers, including Senior Advocate Chander Uday Singh, Jaideep Gupta, Harin P Raval, and others. The statement read: 

The Founders of the Constitution could never have imagined that the Supreme Court could deny urgent and immediate listing upon mentioning of a matter relating to the most senior member of the bar with 40 years of experience, 35 out of which he has been a Senior Advocate.

Further, the statement expressed that the lawyers were “disappointed that even a hearing was denied to him, when in cases of protecting personal liberty the Hon’ble Supreme Court has been very proactive”. 

Senior Advocate Kapil Sibal made two rounds of mentioning on Wednesday before Justice Ramana for an urgent hearing of the petition. 

Sibal submitted that the CBI had issued a look out notice for Chidambaram, according to which, he could be arrested at anytime. However, Justice Ramana maintained that an out of turn petition could not be given unless it is listed as per proper.  

This mentioning was made before Justice Ramana as CJI Ranjan Gogoi and the second senior judge Justice Bobde were occupied in the Constitution Bench hearing for the Ayodhya matter.

According to Justice Ramana, the CJI alone can pass orders regarding listing of the case and then passed on the file to the CJI’s office. 

After this, Chidambaram’s lawyers were informed by the SC registry that the case was listed on Friday. 

Chidambaram was arrested by the Central Agency on Wednesday night around 9.30 PM. His arrest took place in his residence in Jor Bagh, Delhi. 

The allegation under which he has been arrested is that during his time as Finance Minister in 2017, Chidambaram had approved Rs. 305 crores Foreign Direct Investment by INX by taking reciprocal benefits from the media house through companies associated with his son Karti Chidambaram. 

Original Source: LiveLaw.in