NEW DELHI: Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Friday asserted before the Supreme Court that there was documentary evidence with them to show the reason for issuance of lookout circular against former Union Minister P Chidambaram’s son Karti Chidambaram in relating to irregularities in FIPB clearance to INX media and look out notice should stay.
CBI represented by Additional Solicitor General Tushar Mehta also placed documents in a sealed cover before the court and stated that Karti's case is not simple but involves jugglery of accounts and property abroad and said interrogation report would be filed soon.
Karti Chidambaram’s counsel and senior advocate Gopal Subramaniam however, refuted claims by CBI and said that he had properties all across the world and have bank accounts abroad.
“However during the questioning, the CBI did not ask me one question about it,” Subramaniam said.
“What is the subject matter of enquiry is not me but my father who happened to be the finance minister giving FIPB approvals to a company in 2007 and it is alleged that one of the conditions had been violated but not a single person of the six-member FIPB, who were secretary-level officers, had been examined in the case,” Subramaniam added,
CBI responded, “We have things to show- the jugglery of accounts and properties abroad.”
A bench headed by Chief Justice Dipak Misra also refused Karti’s plea to move abroad and made it clear that he will not be allowed to leave India and slated the hearing in the case on September 11.
The hearing happened after a week, Karti appeared for questioning before CBI and was grilled for several hours.
The court has also asked the CBI to respond to Karti Chidambaram's affidavit on his questioning by investigators in the case of alleged graft.
Meanwhile, the court did not permit co-accused in the case Ravi Vishwanathan to travel abroad on September 6 to admit his son.
The FIR, lodged by CBI on May 15, had alleged irregularities in Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) clearance to INX Media for receiving overseas funds to the tune of Rs 305 crore in 2007 when Karti's father was the Finance Minister.
Earlier, Karti had approached the Madras High Court which had stayed the circular. The Supreme Court later put on hold the high court order.