A Delhi court on Tuesday charged Congress Member of Parliament Karti Chidambaram with the offences of criminal conspiracy and bribing a public servant in the alleged Chinese Visa scam case.
Karti Chidambaram and seven others were accused of alleged bribery in facilitating visas for Chinese nationals of a power company in 2011. Special Judge (CBI) Dig Vinay Singh ordered the framing of charges against seven accused, including Chidambaram, and discharged one, Chetan Shrivastava, in the case.
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) alleged that Chidambaram was facilitating visas of 250 Chinese nationals after receiving illegal gratification of ₹50 lakh. The allegations in the CBI’s first information report (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. Bhaskararaman is stated to be Chidambaram's aide.However, the Congress leader claims that nothing incriminating was found during the search proceedings against him.
Media reports citing an order dated December 23, said the court ordered the framing of charges against the seven accused for the alleged offence of criminal conspiracy.In October 2024, the CBI had filed a charge sheet against Karti Chidambaram and others in connection with alleged bribery in facilitating visas of Chinese nationals for a power company in 2011 when his father P Chidambaram was the Union home minister.
In its charge sheet submitted before a special court, the CBI had named Karti Chidambaram, the Lok Sabha MP from Sivaganga, his alleged close associate S Bhaskararaman, Talawandi Sabo Power Ltd (TSPL), a subsidiary of Vedanta, and Mumbai-based Bell Tools, through which bribes were allegedly routed.The agency has invoked charges of criminal conspiracy, cheating, and forgery under the Indian Penal Code and provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act.
The project was running behind its schedule, and the company was allegedly facing the prospect of a penalty.The CBI FIR, which contained findings of the investigating officer who undertook the preliminary inquiry, alleged that an executive of TSPL approached Karti Chidambaram through his "close associate/front man" Bhaskararaman.
"On August 17, 2011, the executive, on being directed by Bhaskararaman, sent a copy of the above letter dated July 30, 2011 to him through e-mail which was forwarded to Karti... Bhakaskararaman after discussion with P Chidambaram, the then home minister, demanded an illegal gratification of ₹50 lakh for ensuring the approval," the FIR had alleged.
The FIR also alleged that the payment of the said bribe was routed from TSP to Karti Chidambaram and Bhaskararaman through Mumbai-based Bell Tools Ltd with payments camouflaged under two invoices raised for consultancy and out-of-pocket expenses for Chinese visas-related work, the CBI FIR said, adding that the TSPL executive had later thanked Karti Chidambaram and Bhaskararaman on email.
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