JOIN USThe CBI on Monday approached the Supreme Court, contending the Delhi High Court oreder on March 23 granting bail to Karti Chidambaram, son of senior Congress leader P Chidambaram, in the INX Media case, though a similar plea was pending before a trial court.
The probe agency challenged the high court order saying it was "impermissible in law" for it to have dealt with the matter.
It also claimed the high court had "erroneously" conducted a "detailed examination" of evidence on merits at the stage of bail, which has seriously prejudiced the case of CBI.
A single judge bench of the high court had on March 23 granted bail to Karti, saying the relief should not be refused unless the crime was of the "highest magnitude" entailing "severe punishment".
The high court had also observed that while there was "incriminating evidence" of a "nexus" between his then company Chess Management Services (P) Ltd and Advantage Strategic Consulting (P) Ltd, which had received a payment of Rs 10 lakh for reportedly facilitating the FIPB clearance to INX Media, it was not sufficient to deny bail to Karti as the payment was duly accounted for in the company records and was received by a cheque.
Karti was arrested on February 28 from Chennai in connection with an FIR lodged on May 15 last year, which had alleged irregularities in the Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) clearance given to INX Media for receiving funds of about Rs 305 crore from overseas in 2007, when his father P Chidambaram was the Union finance minister.