Chinese visa 'scam': Delhi HC shuts Karti Chidambaram's plea as 'infructuous'

New Delhi: The Delhi High Court on Saturday closed the proceedings on a plea by Congress MP Karti Chidambaram seeking directions to defer the hearing on framing of charges in the trial court in a money laundering case arising from the alleged Chinese visa scam.

The Lok Sabha MP from Sivaganga had sought the deferring of the hearing until charges were framed in the linked scheduled offence, i.e. in the visa scam case, which the CBI investigated.

The senior counsel appearing for Karti Chidambaram said the plea was now infructuous since the trial court has already framed charges in the CBI case.

"The matter has become infructuous. So it may be disposed of as infructuous as this stage," he said. The case is disposed of, Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma ordered.

In his petition filed in April 2025, Karti Chidambaram challenged the March 28, 2025, order by the trial court, which dismissed his application seeking deferment of arguments on charges until the charges, if at all, were framed against him in the CBI case.

The ED opposed the plea and said the trials in the scheduled offence and the money laundering case were continuing independently.

Karti Chidambaram's plea emphasised that the foundation of the ED's cases was questionable because if an individual was discharged or acquitted in the scheduled offence or succeeded in quashing it, the money laundering offence could not proceed.

It further submitted that the trial court failed to consider that to raise his defence of non-existence of proceeds of crime or non-commission of any scheduled offence, Karti would necessarily have to disclose his defence in the scheduled offence case.

The ED registered a money laundering case against Karti Chidambaram and others in the alleged scam involving the issuance of visas to 263 Chinese nationals in 2011 when his father P Chidambaram was the Union Home Minister.

It registered its case under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), taking cognisance of a recent FIR filed by the CBI in the same case.

In October 2024, the CBI filed a charge sheet against Karti Chidambaram and others in the case in connection with the alleged bribery in facilitating visas of Chinese nationals for a power company, Talwandi Sabo Power Limited (TSPL) in 2011.

On December 23, 2025, a trial court ordered the framing of charges for criminal conspiracy and corruption against Karti and six others in the case.

It had said "prima facie" there was sufficient material to frame charges against Karti for the substantive offence under IPC Sections 120 B (criminal conspiracy) and under sections 8 (taking gratification, in order, by corrupt or illegal means, to influence a public servant) and 9 (taking gratification, for exercise of personal influence with public servant) of the Prevention of Corruption (PC) Act.

Karti Chidambaram's plea challenging the framing of corruption and conspiracy charges against him in the CBI case is pending in the high court.