NEW DELHI: Karthi Chidambaram, son of former Union Minister P Chidambaram, on Monday approached the Supreme Court to allow him to travel abroad for admitting his daughter at the Cambridge University.Karti told the Bench headed by Chief Justice Dipak Misra that he was willing to undertake that he would not visit any bank there during his travel between October 19 to November 13.
However, in the absence of Additional Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, who represents the CBI, the court said it would hear the plea on Tuesday.
“He wants to go to the Cambridge to get his daughter admitted. He is willing to give an undertaking that he will not visit any bank there,” senior lawyer Kapil Sibal, appearing for Karti, told the Bench.
In response to CBI’s allegation that Karti had multiple bank accounts abroad, Sibal said Karti has one bank account in the UK, which was acquired by a transfer of funds through nationalised banks under the RBI’s liberalised remittance scheme.
“I have just one account in UK’s Metro Bank. This foreign bank account has not received any remittance from anyone, except my wife, daughter and myself,” he said, adding “I am a politically exposed person (PEP) and the UK has strict laws governing PEPs in terms of opening bank accounts.”
The apex court had stayed the Madras High Court order staying the operation of the lookout circulars issued against Karti and others in the case.
The CBI’s FIR, lodged on May 15, had alleged irregularities in the Foreign Investment Promotion Board clearance to INX Media for receiving overseas funds in 2007, when Karti’s father was the Union Finance Minister.On October 4, the CBI had alleged in the SC that Karti had tampered with evidence relating to an alleged graft case against him during his visits abroad.