There’s more trouble coming in former Finance Minister P Chidambaram’s way. The CBI on Wednesday informed the Delhi High Court that it will register an FIR in the hotel grabbing case involving Chidambaram’s family members and bank officials. The CBI had in November 2017 registered a preliminary enquiry on a complaint by an industrialist Dr Kathirvel accusing Chidambaram’s wife Nalini and her sister Padmini for grabbing his hotel in Tirupur in Tamil Nadu by conniving with Indian Overseas Bank officials.
The CBI informed the High Court they will file the detailed probe report by next hearing scheduled on April 21. Arguing before Justice Rajnish Bhatnagar, advocate Yatinder Chaudhary pointed out that for the past three years, CBI’s delaying the case.
The CBI's counsel told the court that the agency has finished the probe and decided to register FIR on the hotel grabbing case and will file detailed probe findings by the next hearing.
According to Kathirvel's complaint, in 2008, his hotel Comfort Inn was grabbed by Padmini by conniving with IOB officials.
He said that his business were illegally declared by the Bank as NPA and conducted auction and granted the hotel to Padmini. Those days Chidambaram was Finance Minister. Kathirvel produced before the CBI and HC the letters from Chidambaram to him on the issue and Nalini's conversation records with him to settle the case. He also produced a cheque given by Nalini to the agencies and court.
Soon after the CBI registered the probe, Padmini passed away and CBI had questioned many senior bank officials involved in the illegal auction of Kathirvel's hotel facilitating auction, leading to ownership of the hotel to Padmini.