Delhi : High Court Seeks CBI Response on Karti Chidambaram Visa Case Plea
Delhi : High Court on Wednesday asked the Central Bureau of Investigation to respond to a petition filed by Congress Member of Parliament Karti P. Chidambaram, who has challenged a trial court decision framing charges against him in the alleged Chinese visa irregularities case. The court issued notice after a brief initial hearing and decided to hear the investigating agency before considering any interim relief.
The matter was taken up by a single-judge Bench presided over by Justice Manoj Jain, which issued notices on both the criminal revision petition and an accompanying application seeking a stay on further trial proceedings.
Court Seeks Agency’s Stand Before Granting Relief
During the hearing, senior advocate Siddharth Luthra, representing Chidambaram, urged the court to stay the ongoing trial. However, the High Court indicated that it would first examine the CBI’s response before taking a view on interim protection. Justice Jain made it clear that the court would consider the request only after the investigating agency had placed its position on record.
The court has scheduled the next hearing for February 12, granting the CBI time to submit a brief reply along with a status report. The Special Public Prosecutor for the agency appeared on advance notice and requested time to file the necessary documents.
Defence Questions Applicability of Corruption Law
Chidambaram’s counsel argued that the charges framed under Sections 8 and 9 of the Prevention of Corruption Act were legally unsustainable. According to the defence, these provisions require the involvement of a public servant, which, they claimed, is entirely absent in the present case.
Luthra further contended that the trial court had framed an additional charge under Section 204 of the Indian Penal Code, which relates to the destruction of documents or electronic records to prevent their use as evidence, without any supporting material on record. He maintained that the prosecution had failed to establish the basic ingredients necessary to justify such a charge.
Background of the Trial Court Order
The petition before the High Court challenges a December 23, 2025 order passed by a special CBI court. In that order, the trial court framed charges against Karti Chidambaram for criminal conspiracy and for allegedly bribing a public servant in connection with irregularities linked to the issuance of visas to Chinese nationals in 2011.
While charges were framed against several accused individuals in the case, one of the accused, Chetan Shrivastava, was discharged by the trial court after it found insufficient material to proceed against him.
Allegations Linked to Visa Misuse in 2011
According to the CBI, the case stems from alleged violations of Ministry of Home Affairs norms during 2011. The agency claims that visas issued to Chinese nationals were misused and repeatedly renewed beyond the permissible limits during the construction of a power project in Punjab.
The investigation alleges that approximately 250 Chinese workers were allowed to reuse business visas, contrary to prescribed rules, to continue working at the project site.
Focus on Punjab Power Project
The allegations centre on Talwandi Sabo Power Limited, a company associated with the Vedanta group, which was developing a thermal power plant in Punjab’s Mansa district at the time. The CBI has claimed that the company sought to expedite and extend visa approvals for Chinese personnel engaged in the project.
As part of its case, the agency has alleged that an illegal payment of Rs 50 lakh was made by Talwandi Sabo Power Limited to Bell Tools Limited. The money was allegedly routed to an individual named Bhaskararaman to facilitate visa approvals and extensions beyond what was permitted under existing regulations.
Alleged Link to Home Ministry Approvals
The CBI further maintains that the alleged payments were intended to influence approvals from the Ministry of Home Affairs. This period coincided with the tenure of P. Chidambaram, Karti Chidambaram’s father, who was serving as the Union Home Minister at the time.
The High Court is now expected to examine whether the trial court was justified in framing charges, once the CBI places its response and status report before the Bench at the next hearing.