SC permits Karti Chidambaram to travel abroad on depositing Rs 10 cr security

The Supreme Court Tuesday permitted Karti Chidambaram, son of senior Congress leader P Chidambaram, to travel abroad in May and June after depositing Rs 10 crore as security with it.

Karti, who is facing probe in the INX Media and the Aircel Maxis cases, moved the top court seeking nod to travel to the US, Germany and Spain for international tennis tournaments organised by 'Totus Tennis Ltd'.

A bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi allowed his plea as Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for CBI and the Enforcement Directorate, did not oppose.

The bench, which also comprised Justices Deepak Gupta and Sanjiv Khanna, said the conditions imposed earlier on Karti for permitting him to travel abroad would remain the same and he will have to deposit Rs 10 crore as security with the Secretary General of the apex court.

Senior advocate K V Vishwanathan, appearing for Karti, said that Rs 10 crore, which was deposited earlier, was still lying with the apex court's registry.

"We do not think, you would have any problem in depositing Rs 10 crore again," the bench said.

The apex court on January 30 had allowed Karti to travel abroad after depositing Rs 10 crore as security and had cautioned him that it would "come down heavily" if he did not cooperate during the probe into INX Media and Aircel Maxis cases.

It had also asked him to file an undertaking indicating his flight details and the date of arrival in India.

Besides, it had asked him to surrender the passport on return and not to "open or close any bank account overseas".

Karti is facing criminal cases which are being probed by the ED and the CBI.

One of the cases relates to the FIPB clearance to INX Media for receiving foreign funds of Rs 305 crore when his father was the finance minister.

The ED has said that Karti, who is also facing proceedings in cases like Aircel-Maxis and money laundering matters, has been "blatantly misusing" the liberty granted by court in allowing him to travel abroad and has been using the same to protract the investigation in the case.