After hearing arguments for more than three hours, the Delhi Special CBI Court on Thursday sent former Finance Minister P Chidambaram’s son Karti to five days of CBI custody. He is to be produced again on March 6. The CBI and the ED had sought 14-day custody showing documents of money deals and confessions of bribe-giver Indrani Mukerjea and Chartered Accountant Bhaskar Raman.
The courtroom witnessed arguments between the two sides. The CBI and the ED produced documents of Karti’s money trail from INX Media and said that its promoters Peter Mukerjea and Indrani had met then Finance Minister Chidambaram.
The agencies were represented by Additional Solicitor General (ASG) Tushar Mehta, while Karti was represented by Congress leader and noted lawyer Abhishek Singhvi, who argued for more than two hours. Singhvi contended that there was no need for arrest as Karti has already been subjected to interrogation for many days and the matter is 10 years old. He also said that it was Chidambaram as the Finance Minister in 2013 who had actually ordered a probe into the INX Media case. The CBI said it was different matter related to share-holding pattern and Karti’s sustained interrogation is a must in this case.
Judge Sunil Rana allowed advocates to meet Karti in the morning and evening for an hour during custody, while declining his request for food from outside.
Chidambaram and wife Nalini were present throughout the court proceedings. Reaching the courtroom around 2.30 pm, Chidambaram walked up to his son, who was brought to court by the CBI. “Be stern. I am here,” he told Karti. Karti was seen quarrelling with CBI officers on many occasions.
Before delivering the order, Judge allowed him to interact with family members. When Karti was found talking with friends in Tamil, CBI officers warned him and said he should speak in English. Karti retorted to them that they should only speak in English and avoid Hindi with him. CBI officers reminded Karti that he is in custody and they are not and he should obey orders.
ASG Mehta also informed the court that Karti was taken to hospital for medical check-up on Wednesday night and stayed in the Safadrjung Hospital as per recommendation of the doctor and was back to CBI office only at 7.30 am. Karti told mediapersons that he will be eventually vindicated.
The CBI arrested Karti on Wednesday from Chennai airport. The sleuths of the probe agency whisked away Karti when he landed at the airport from a British Airways flight from France via london. Karti was taken to custody by CBI officials of Delhi Anti-Corruption Branch from the Immigration counter at 6.45 am and airlifted to Delhi to produce before the Patiala House Court in the evening. Karti was sent to CBI custody for a day by the duty Judge Sumit Anand.
Hearing of his son’s arrest, Chidambaram who landed at Heathrow airport in london on Wednesday afternoon cancelled his programmes in Oxford and returned to India.
In their FIRs, the CBI and ED accused Karti of accepting bribe of around Rs 5 crore from INX Media promoters Peter and Indrani Mukerjea. In 2007, the INX Media got FIPB clearance to bring just Rs 5 crore as FDI. But the company illegally brought in Rs.306 crore through tax havens including Mauritius, said the agencies. Chidambaram has been accused of giving post factor clearance for the enhanced investment as the head of the FIPB.
The agencies in their chargesheets said that Chidambaram dishonestly and illegally approved the FIPB’s post facto clearance to save Peter and Indrani from Income Tax’s huge penalty.
According to investigators, Indrani has confessed that her first meeting with Karti took place n Delhi’s Hyatt Hotel where he agreed to do her the “favour” for a kick back of one million dollars. It is learned that Indrani and Peter also met Chidambaram later. The amount was transferred to Karti’s firms, Chess Management Services, and Advantage Strategic Consulting Private limited.
The INX media scam was unearthed during the joint raid of ED and Income Tax in December 2015 at Karti’s companies in connection with Aircel-Maxis scam. The investigators seized a hard disk from the Karti’s firms, unearthing details of the family’s properties and hotels and farmhouses in 14 countries and 21 undeclared foreign bank accounts.