Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma of Delhi High Court on Tuesday recused from hearing a plea filed by Congress Member of Parliament (MP) Karti Chidambaram in connection with the alleged bribery by alcoholic beverage company Diageo Scotland. Congress MP Karti Chidambaram seeking to quash a CBI FIR against him for allegedly helping an alcoholic beverage company over the ban on the duty-free sale of its whisky.
Chidambaram has moved the Court seeking quashing of the corruption case registered by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in connection with the matter.When the matter was taken up for hearing today, Justice Sharma said that the case will have to be listed before a different bench in July."This will have to go. List before another bench," the judge said.
She added that another case filed by Advantage Strategic Consulting Private Limited concerning the same CBI FIR will also be heard by a different bench. Seeking to quash the case, Karti has alleged in the high court that there was a ''gross delay'' in registration of the ''illegal'' FIR on January 1, 2025, which was malafide, borne out of ''political vendetta and regime revenge''. The matter would be listed next on July 21.
The case, fourth against the Congress MP, stems from a preliminary inquiry registered by the CBI in 2018 to investigate alleged irregularities in granting FIPB clearance when his father, P Chidambaram, was the finance minister. The case was registered against Katra Holdings, ASCPL, Karti and others. ''There is gross delay in registration of the impugned FIR in as much as the allegations pertain to the period of 2004-2010 (as per the FIR) whereas the subject FIR has been registered in 2025, i.e., after 20 years,'' the plea has alleged.
The case was registered against Katra Holdings, ASCPL, Karti and others. ''There is gross delay in registration of the impugned FIR in as much as the allegations pertain to the period of 2004-2010 (as per the FIR) whereas the subject FIR has been registered in 2025, i.e., after 20 years,'' the plea has alleged.
The CBI has accused Chidambaram of taking a bribe from Diageo Scotland in exchange for lifting a liquor import ban in 2005, when his father P Chidambaram was the Union Finance Minister.Chidambaram has been booked by CBI for offences under Section 120B (criminal conspiracy) and 420 (cheating) of the Indian Penal Code and for offences under the Prevention of Corruption Act.
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