Former union minister P Chidambaram’s plea, filed on Wednesday, seeking pre-arrest bail was dismissed by the Supreme Court termingit “infructuous”. “Since petitoner has been arrested on August 21 in view of the judgement of the constitution bench of 1980 the SLP has become infructuous.It has been dismissed,” the court said.

Chidambaram suffered a setback earlier in the day when his plea against custody by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) was notlisted by the Supreme Court on Monday.

Chidambaram’s lawyer Kapil Sibal told a bench headed by Justice Banumathi that at Friday’s hearing they were told the plea challenging the custody would be heard on Monday but it hasn’t been listed for arguments.The bench said necessary orders for the listing could not be taken during the weekend. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, however, said he has no objections if the lawyers argue on this point.

Chidambaram’s pleas against the Delhi high court order dismissing his anticipatory bail in the INX Media case and one seeking protection from arrest by the Enforcement Directorate will be heard by theSupreme Court on Monday. The top court had granted him protection from arrestin the ED case till Monday.

The CBI arrested Chidambaram on August 21 from his Jor Baghresidence. The arrest was made just hours after the Supreme Court did not entertainurgent hearing to his appeals filed against the Delhi high court’s order that removed his protection from arrest in the INX media case.

On Thursday, a special court had sent Chidambaram to CBIcustody till Monday in the INX Media case. The 73-year-old former home ministerwas arrested from his Jor Bagh residence on Wednesday after the Supreme Courtdidn’t entertain appeals for urgent hearing against the Delhi high court order.

The INX Media case relates to alleged irregularities inForeign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) clearance given to INX Media groupfor foreign investment of Rs 305 crore in 2007. P Chidambaram was the financeminister at that time.

On May 15, 2017, the CBI had registered an FIR (firstinformation report), alleging irregularities in the FIPB clearance. This wasfollowed by a money laundering case by the Enforcement Directorate a yearlater.The agency alleges that the former directors of INX Media, IndraniMukerjea and Peter Mukerjea, made a payment of $5 million and $450,000 toChidambaram in 2007-08 and 2008-09, allegedly for giving the FIPB approval.