Delhi High Court on Monday refused to grant bail to former Union finance minister P. Chidambaram in the INX Media corruption case.

Justice Suresh Kait denied bail to the Congress leader, saying there is no chance of tampering with evidence but there is a possibility that Chidambaram can influence witnesses.

Chidambaram, who is in custody since his arrest by the CBI on August 21, did not approach the trial court and had filed the regular bail plea directly in the high court. Arrested from his Jor Bagh residence here, he is lodged in Tihar Jail till October 3.

The CBI had registered an FIR on May 15, 2017, alleging irregularities in the FIPB clearance granted to the INX Media group for receiving overseas funds of Rs 305 crore in 2007 during Chidambaram’s tenure as the finance minister.

Thereafter, the enforcement directorate (ED) lodged a money laundering case in this regard in 2017.