Congress MP Karti Chidambaram on Friday moved an anticipatory bail in a Delhi Court in relation to a case of allegedly taking bribe to arrange visas, ANI reported. An individual can apply for anticipatory bail if they are likely to be arrested.
On Tuesday, the Central Bureau of Investigation had booked Chidambaram alleging that he had received Rs 50 lakh as “illegal gratification” to arrange visas for over 250 Chinese citizens during the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance regime.
At the hearing on Chidambaram’s anticipatory bail plea on Friday, the CBI submitted that they will give a notice at least 48 hours before arresting the Congress leader. However, the court held that the central agency needs to give a notice of three working days, ANI reported.
The court also held that Chidambaram, who is currently not in India, must join the investigation within 16 hours of returning to the country.
The son of former Finance Minister P Chidambaram was booked after the Central Bureau of Investigation on May 17 raided nine locations across the country – three in Chennai, three in Mumbai and one each in Karnataka, Punjab and Odisha.
On Wednesday, CBI arrested S Bhaskar Raman, a co-accused in the case and a close associate of Karti Chidambaram.
The CBI has alleged that Vikas Makharia, the associate vice president of Talwandi Sabo Power thermal power plant in Punjab, had approached Chidambaram’s “close associate/frontman” Raman to reissue project visas for the Chinese workers employed by him, reported PTI.
Project visas are a special type of visa for employees of the power and steel sector. Guidelines for these visas were issued during P Chidambaram’s tenure as the home minister in 2010, but there was no provision to reuse them.
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