Karti Chidambaram on Tuesday dismissed the Central Bureau of Investigation’s raids at properties owned by him and his father, former Congress Union Minister P Chidambaram, as political vendetta, ANI reported. Earlier on Tuesday, the CBI raided up to 16 premises owned by the former minister and his son in Mumbai, Delhi, Gurugram and Chennai. The searches were reportedly carried out in connection with the foreign investments received by a media firm.
“I have done nothing wrong. They could not prove allegations against me, they want to silence our voice,” Karti Chidambaram said. In a statement the former minister said all the cases under the scanner were processed according to the law. He alleged that the raids were part of the Centre’s attempt to obstruct his critical writings against the government.
The First Information Report has been filed against former director of INX Media Indrani Mukherjea, former director of INX News Pratim Mukherjea, Peter Mukherjea and others, The News Minute reported. The FIR also includes the names of unidentified officials in the Finance Ministry. All of them have been booked for criminal conspiracy, cheating, using illegal means to influence public servants and criminal misconduct.
Karti Chidambaram is also accused of facilitating bribes in the Aircel-Maxis transaction. The Aircel-Maxis deal is part of the bigger 2G spectrum scam. In August 2015, the ED had issued summons to two directors of a firm linked to Karti Chidambaram after an investigation revealed that Rs 26 lakh had allegedly been sent from the firm to Aircel Televentures. A firm owned by Karti Chidambaram also allegedly received payments from Maxis after the deal was executed.
Limited-time offer: Big stories, small price. Keep independent media alive. Become a Scroll member today!
Our journalism is for everyone. But you can get special privileges by buying an annual Scroll Membership. Sign up today!