Nalini gets 4 weeks immunity from arrest

Justice GL Ilanthirayan, before whom Nailini Chidambaram’s plea came up, granted four weeks interim anticipatory bail after directing her to furnish sureties before the jurisdictional Magistrate at Egmore and thereafter approach the appropriate court for regular bail.

As per the case, Nalini Chidambaram entered a criminal conspiracy with Sudipto Sen, proprietor of the Saradha Group, after she was introduced to him through one Manoranjana Sinh. The Saradha group was later accused of cheating and fund misappropriation.The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) had filed a chargesheet at a Kolkata Court, alleging that Nalini Chidambaram had received Rs 1.4 crore from the group between 2010 and 2014.

This is the sixth supplementary chargesheet filed by the CBI in the matter. In the challenge made to the same, Nailini pointed out that earlier chargesheets had recorded that the money paid to her was towards her legal fees as counsel for Sinh.

However, the latest charge sheet, which had converted the money paid to Nalini from legal fee to bribe has been challenged as a mala fide exercise. The plea contended that the latest charge is part of a larger ploy launched against the family and her husband Chidambaram.

“Once the CBI has recorded in the earlier supplementary charge sheet that the Saradha Group paid Rs 1.4 crore to the petitioner on behalf of Manoranjana Sinh towards her legal expenses, there cannot be a change in stand by the CBI in the subsequent supplementary charge sheet by changing colour of the payment from legal fees to bribe money,” the plea said.

Nalini Chidambaram also contended that she had been cooperating with the authorities in the investigation of the case, as directed. In view of the latest chargesheet, she had moved the anticipatory bail plea apprehending that the CBI is likely to abuse its authority and arrest her.