Chinese visa scam: HC judges recuses from Karti’s plea
Delhi High Court judge Justice Girish Kathpalia on Friday recused himself from hearing Congress MP Karti Chidambaram’s petition challenging the framing of charges of corruption and conspiracy against him in the alleged Chinese visa scam case probed by the CBI.
“I don’t think I would be able to hear this,” Justice Kathpalia said.
“Subject to orders of the learned judge in charge, criminal side, list before some other bench for personal reasons,” the judge ordered. The matter would be heard next on January 28.
Earlier, two other high court judges — Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma and Justice Anup J Bhambhani — recused themselves from hearing the case. On January 15, Justice Sharma directed that the matter be placed before another bench.
On January 19, Justice Bhambhani also passed a similar order. In October 2024, the CBI had filed a chargesheet against Karti Chidambaram and others in connection with alleged bribery in facilitating visas of Chinese nationals for a power company, Talwandi Sabo Power Limited (TSPL), in 2011, when his father, P Chidambaram, was the Union home minister.
On December 23, 2025, a trial court ordered the framing of charges for criminal conspiracy and corruption against Karti Chidambaram and six others in the case.
It had said “prima facie” there was sufficient material to frame charges against Karti Chidambaram 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.
In his petition before the high court, the Lok Sabha MP from Sivaganga said the trial court did not apply its judicial mind to the material and documents on record, as it completely ignored documents, evidence and statements of witnesses which show the absence of criminality.
The petition said there was neither any bribe or conspiracy, as alleged by the investigating agency.
“There must be evidence of money or the equivalent being demanded by the accused, payment thereof and acceptance by the accused. The Ld. (Learned) Trial Court has incorrectly observed that the petitioner demanded Rs 50 Lacs for the work. There is not even an allegation, let alone evidence (direct or circumstantial) of any demand being made by the Petitioner,” the plea filed through lawyer Akshat Gupta said.
“The Ld. Trial Court failed to appreciate that ‘re-use’ of visas was already an existing practice, and there was no requirement for any conspiracy to receive a routine administrative clarification,” it added.
The CBI had filed the chargesheet after two years of probe into its FIR registered in 2022, where it had alleged that the Punjab-based TSPL was setting up a 1980 MW thermal power plant and the work was outsourced to the Chinese company Shandong Electric Power Construction Corp (SEPCO).
The project was running behind schedule, and the company was allegedly facing the prospect of a penalty. The CBI FIR, which contained findings of the investigating officer who undertook the preliminary inquiry, alleged that an executive of TSPL approached Karti Chidambaram through his “close associate/front man” S Bhaskararaman.
In its chargesheet, besides Karti Chidambaram, the CBI has named his alleged close associate and chartered accountant, S Bhaskararaman, TSPL, a subsidiary of Vedanta, and Mumbai-based Bell Tools, through which bribes were allegedly routed.
