The storm clouds over former finance minister P Chidambaram deepened on Tuesday as he rushedtothe Supreme Court seeking anticipatory bail — after the Delhi high court ended his interim bail in two corruption cases — only to be told that his plea should be placed before the most senior bench headed by an SC judge on Wednesday.

The senior Congress leader sought protection from arrest within an hour of the Delhi HC denying him anticipatory bail in decade-old cases being investigated by the CBI and ED relating to alleged irregularities in FIPB clearance for the Rs 3,500-crore Aircel-Maxis deal and the Rs 305-crore FDI in INX Media when he headed the finance ministry.

The storm clouds over former finance minister P Chidambaram deepened on Tuesday as he rushedtothe Supreme Court seeking anticipatory bail — after the Delhi high court ended his interim bail in two corruption cases — only to be told that his plea should be placed before the most senior bench headed by an SC judge on Wednesday.

The senior Congress leader sought protection from arrest within an hour of the Delhi HC denying him anticipatory bail in decade-old cases being investigated by the CBI and ED relating to alleged irregularities in FIPB clearance for the Rs 3,500-crore Aircel-Maxis deal and the Rs 305-crore FDI in INX Media when he headed the finance ministry.