CHENNAI: Senior advocate Gopal Subramaniam on Monday took strong objection to the CBI’s arrest of Karti, son of former Union Finance Minister P Chidambaram, on his arrival from London at the airport here on February 28 last.
When arguments on the petition from Karti, challenging the look-out circulars (LOCs) issued against him, resumed at the Madras High on Monday, Subramaniam told the First Bench of Chief Justice Indira Banerjee and Justice Abdul Quddhose that the CBI should not have arrested Karti as per conditions imposed by the court. The CBI must have obtained permission before effecting the arrest, he said. He added that CBI had failed to cite reasons for the issue of the circular and also failed to follow the due process of law.
Additional Solicitor General G Rajagopalan submitted that the High Court had not mentioned anything about Karti’s arrest in its earlier order permitting him to go abroad. It is up to the investigating agency to decide when, where and whom to arrest. Failure on the part of Karti to appear before the investigating officer, despite the directions of the Supreme Court, led to the issue of LOCs. The agency apprehended that he might abscond to evade investigation, Rajagopalan said.
Recording the submissions from both sides, the bench adjourned the matter by a day to enable them to file their arguments in written form.On February 16, the High Court permitted Karti to travel to the UK, despite strong objections from the CBI in view of the pending LOCs.
Karti was restrained from leaving India by the CBI, which had issued the LOCs in connection with an FIR registered by it over the alleged irregular approval of `305-crore foreign investment in INX Media in 2007. The charge against Karti was that he had influenced his father’s position as the then Finance Minister in the transaction. The LOCs were issued on August 16 and 18 last year.