[Chinese Visa Scam] Karti Chidambaram will not be arrested till July 12: ED to Delhi High Court

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) told the Delhi High Court on Friday that it will not arrest Congress lawmaker Karti Chidambaram in the case related to alleged Chinese visa scam till July 12. .Additional Solicitor General (ASG) SV Raju appeared for the ED and made the assurance after the court said that it will not be able to deal with the matter today. Justice Jasmeet Singh then directed the ED to file a status report in the matter. The case will now be take up on July 12. .A lower court had, on June 3, rejected the anticipatory bail plea of Chidambaram and others who are facing probe by the ED in a money laundering case connected to allotment of Chinese visas..Special Judge MK Nagpal had dismissed the politician’s pre-arrest bail application noting their criminal antecedents."The nature and gravity of the alleged offences, the nascent stage of investigation and also the previous criminal antecedents of the accused Karti P Chidambaram and S Bhaskararaman do not make it out a case for grant of anticipatory bail to the applicants or for any further interim protection to them for joining of the investigation of this case as it will seriously hamper the process and progress of investigation,” the order had held..It is alleged that Karti was facilitating visas of 250 Chinese nationals after receiving illegal gratification of ₹50 lakh. On the basis of the case registered by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), the ED filed a money laundering case.Karti apprehended his arrest citing the haste with which the enforcement case information report (ECIR) was registered against him.The allegations in the CBI’s FIR were that Talwandi Sabo Power Limited (TSPL) had paid an amount of ₹50 lakh to Bell Tools Limited (BTL) which in turn relayed it to S Bhaskararaman as gratification for the Chinese visas.Karti, however, stated that nothing incriminating was found and no incriminating material was seized during the search proceedings against him.“The gist of the allegations in the subject FIR is that TSPL paid a sum of ₹50 lakh by cheque to BTL, Mumbai and, in turn, the said BTL paid ₹50 lakh by cash to S Bhaskararaman as gratification. There is no allegation that Bhaskararaman paid the whole or any part of ₹50 lakh to the applicant. There is no specific allegation that either Bhaskararaman or the applicant influenced any public servant or paid any gratification to any public servant. In fact, no overt act concerning the transaction in question has been attributed to or alleged against the applicant,” argued the plea.

[Chinese Visa Scam] Karti Chidambaram will not be arrested till July 12: ED to Delhi High Court

Prashant Jha

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