SC tells Karti to show bona fide by joining CBI probe in a graft case

The Supreme Court on Monday told Karti Chidambaram, son of former Finance Minister P Chidambaram, to show his bona fide by joining CBI probe in a corruption case.
 
The court made it clear that he would not be allowed to go abroad until he participated in the investigation into the case registered by the CBI on May 15, pertaining to Foreign Investment Promotion Board clearance to INX media company for receiving overseas funds of Rs 305 crore in 2007.
 
“How can you go abroad without participating in the investigation? None of the five accused ever appeared before the agency... we had some bad experiences, we allowed people to go abroad and they never returned back,” a bench of Chief Justice J S Khehar and Justice D Y Chandrachud asked senior advocate Gopal Subramanium, representing Karti.
 
The court noted that Karti never apprehended arrest, otherwise he would have sought protection but he preferred to approach the Madras HC for quashing of the FIR and kept himself away.
 
On CBI's plea, the court stayed the Madras HC order of August 10 suspending the look out circular issued against him.
 
“What is wrong with the lookout circular? If the Investigating Officer feels, this circular can be issued on the date the FIR was registered,” the bench said.
 
Subramanium submitted that he was ready to keep in abeyance his right to travel abroad.
 
He, however, sought time till August 18 to take instructions. But the court said since there is an order by the HC, it has to stay.
 
The court, however, added, “Needless to say, the petition filed by Karti for quashing of the FIR would be dealt by the HC in consonance with the law.”
 
During the hearing, as Subramanium tried to justify the FIPB clearance granted during his father's tenure as Finance Minister. The decision was taken by a group of senior most civil servants, he said.
 
“We are not interested in all those details,” the bench said.
 
Additional Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, representing the CBI, contended that the HC called the issuance of circular as “unwarranted” even though a different bench was seized up of the petition filed by Karti.
 
CBI had questioned the territorial jurisdiction of Madras HC since the FIR was filed with the Patiala House Courts here in Delhi, he said.
 
Mehta said the HC's order was passed, ignoring the facts several notices were issued to the accused of joining the investigation in the case where some substantial materials – pertaining to properties of the accused in Singapore and Switzerland and investment in other countries – seized during the raids in May.