 "Karti Chidambaram barred from going abroad")
The Supreme Court on Monday barred Karti Chidambaram, son of former finance minister P Chidambaram, from leaving India and stayed a Madras High Court order allowing him to do so. Karti is facing graft charges.
The court said he should not go abroad till his petition in the high court against the First Information Report has been decided. The investigation should not suffer, the court observed. The case will be heard again on Friday. The Madras High Court had stayed a look-out notice issued against him. The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Monday moved an urgent petition against this. Additional Solicitor Tushar Mehta argued the agency wanted to interrogate him and not arrest him. Karti’s petitions challenging the FIR against him and the issue of the jurisdiction of the high court were pending in Chennai. Meanwhile, he should join the investigation, the counsel said. The court also asked Karti, a businessman and a member of the Congress Party, to cooperate with the investigation. He had been summoned twice but not responded, the court observed. It said if he was abroad, he should have shown his bonafides by requesting suitable date for examination. “That was the least he should have done,” the court said.
The counsel for Karti, Gopal Subramanium, said the CBI had issued a look-out notice even before he could join the investigation. He came to know about the notice only when he moved writ petitions in the high court. The notice has interfered with his fundamental right to go abroad; he is not a fugitive, the counsel asserted. When he described the events leading to the FIR, the judges told him they were not interested in the facts of the case but the focus was only on the look-out notice.
According to CBI, Karti received kickbacks amounting to Rs 3.5 crore from a private company, the INX media, in exchange for allowing them to make foreign investment. This was done through "influence in the finance ministry" while his father was the finance minister, investigators have claimed. The former minister had denied the allegation.
The court said he should not go abroad till his petition in the high court against the First Information Report has been decided. The investigation should not suffer, the court observed. The case will be heard again on Friday. The Madras High Court had stayed a look-out notice issued against him. The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Monday moved an urgent petition against this. Additional Solicitor Tushar Mehta argued the agency wanted to interrogate him and not arrest him. Karti’s petitions challenging the FIR against him and the issue of the jurisdiction of the high court were pending in Chennai. Meanwhile, he should join the investigation, the counsel said. The court also asked Karti, a businessman and a member of the Congress Party, to cooperate with the investigation. He had been summoned twice but not responded, the court observed. It said if he was abroad, he should have shown his bonafides by requesting suitable date for examination. “That was the least he should have done,” the court said.
The counsel for Karti, Gopal Subramanium, said the CBI had issued a look-out notice even before he could join the investigation. He came to know about the notice only when he moved writ petitions in the high court. The notice has interfered with his fundamental right to go abroad; he is not a fugitive, the counsel asserted. When he described the events leading to the FIR, the judges told him they were not interested in the facts of the case but the focus was only on the look-out notice.
According to CBI, Karti received kickbacks amounting to Rs 3.5 crore from a private company, the INX media, in exchange for allowing them to make foreign investment. This was done through "influence in the finance ministry" while his father was the finance minister, investigators have claimed. The former minister had denied the allegation.
One subscription. Two world-class reads.
Already subscribed? Log in
Subscribe to read the full story →*Subscribe to Business Standard digital and get complimentary access to The New York Times
Smart Quarterly
₹900
3 Months
₹300/Month
SAVE 25%
Smart Essential
₹2,700
1 Year
₹225/Month
SAVE 46%
*Complimentary New York Times access for the 2nd year will be given after 12 months
Super Saver
₹3,900
2 Years
₹162/Month
Subscribe
Renews automatically, cancel anytime
Here’s what’s included in our digital subscription plans
Exclusive premium stories online
Over 30 premium stories daily, handpicked by our editors
Complimentary Access to The New York Times
News, Games, Cooking, Audio, Wirecutter & The Athletic
Business Standard Epaper
Digital replica of our daily newspaper — with options to read, save, and share
Curated Newsletters
Insights on markets, finance, politics, tech, and more delivered to your inbox
Market Analysis & Investment Insights
In-depth market analysis & insights with access to The Smart Investor
Archives
Repository of articles and publications dating back to 1997
Ad-free Reading
Uninterrupted reading experience with no advertisements
Seamless Access Across All Devices
Access Business Standard across devices — mobile, tablet, or PC, via web or app
SAVE 25%