The Supreme Court on Friday denied former Union minister P Chidambaram’s son Karti Chidambaram’s petition to go abroad, ANI reported. On August 18, the apex court had asked Karti Chidambaram to appear before the Central Bureau of Investigation on August 23 for questioning in a corruption case.
A CBI lookout notice against him will continue till September 11, when the apex court will hear the matter, ANI reported. The Supreme Court said it would examine the CBI interrogation report on the alleged irregular Foreign Exchange Promotion Board clearance to INX media in 2007.
On August 14, the Supreme Court had stayed the Madras High Court’s order suspending a lookout notice against Karti Chidambaram. The apex court’s order was based on a plea by the Bharatiya Janata Party-led Centre that challenged the lower court’s direction to stay the lookout notice against the politician.
On July 18, the CBI had had issued a notice under Section 10B of the Passport Act to prevent Karti Chidambaram from leaving the country. Karti Chidambaram had moved the Madras High Court against the lookout notice on August 4, after which it had stayed the notice on August 10.
The money laundering case
Karti Chidambaram is under the CBI and Enforcement Directorate’s scanner for his alleged involvement in a money laundering case. Others named in the case are INX media directors Peter and Indrani Mukerjea, who were charged separately with murder in connection with Sheena Bora’s death. Bora was Indrani Mukerjea’s daughter. The case against them has been filed under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act.
The Chidambarams have denied all charges and alleged that the investigation was part of a political ploy, after there were multiple raids conducted on their properties in four cities.
The officials had said they were investigating the charge that Karti Chidambaram’s company had received Rs 10 lakh from INX Media – which got a Foreign Exchange Promotion Board clearance for Rs 4 crores – but had actually received Rs 305 crores in foreign funding.
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