NEW DELHI: The Delhi High Court on Tuesday listed the anticipatory bail plea of Congress MP Karti Chidambaram for hearing on August 18. Karti is seeking bail in the alleged Chinese Visas scam which is being probed by the ED.
Justice Poonam A Bamba deferred the hearing after the counsel for ED informed the court that Additional Solicitor General SV Raju was not available. The federal investigation agency also orally said that its earlier assurance concerning no coercive action to be taken against Karti would extend till the next date.
Karti had approached the HC after his bail plea and that of two others was dismissed by the trial court on the ground that the offence was of a serious nature. The agency has opposed their bail plea by Karti, saying the probe so far has revealed his involvement in the present offence which endangers national security for financial gains.
In its July 11 status report, the ED stated that success in an interrogation would elude if the accused knows that he is protected and the grant of bail in economic offences would hamper an effective investigation.