New Delhi: The Delhi High Court on Wednesday issued notice to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on a plea filed by Congress MP Karti P. Chidambaram challenging a trial court order framing charges against him in connection with the alleged Chinese visa scam case.
After briefly hearing the matter, a single-judge Bench of Justice Manoj Jain issued a notice on Chidambaram’s criminal revision petition as well as on the application seeking a stay of the trial court’s proceedings.
Senior advocate Siddharth Luthra, appearing for Chidambaram, submitted that there is a complete absence of the essential ingredients required under Sections 8 and 9 of the Prevention of Corruption (PC) Act, adding that charges under the anti-corruption law could not stand in the absence of any public servant being involved.
He further said that the trial court has framed a charge under Section 204 IPC (destruction of document or electronic record to prevent its production as evidence) without any supporting material.
During the brief hearing, when Luthra sought a stay of the trial court proceedings, the Delhi High Court orally observed that it would first seek a response from the CBI before considering the prayer for interim relief.
Listing the matter for further hearing on February 12, Justice Jain recorded that the Special Public Prosecutor for the CBI appeared on advance notice and sought time to file a brief reply and status report.
Earlier, the matter had witnessed multiple recusals, with Justices Swarana Kanta Sharma, Anup Jairam Bhambhani, and Girish Kathpalia withdrawing from hearing Chidambaram’s plea.
In his criminal revision petition, Chidambaram has challenged the December 23, 2025 order passed by a special CBI court, which framed charges against him for criminal conspiracy and bribing a public servant in connection with alleged irregularities in the issuance of visas to Chinese nationals in 2011.
Charges were also framed against several other accused, while accused Chetan Shrivastava was discharged.
According to the CBI, the case relates to alleged irregularities in 2011 involving the misuse of visas for Chinese nationals, in violation of Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) norms.
The probe agency has alleged that visas of around 250 Chinese workers were facilitated for reuse beyond the prescribed limit during the construction of a power plant in Punjab.
The allegations centre on Talwandi Sabo Power Limited (TSPL), a company linked to the Vedanta group, which was setting up a power project in Punjab’s Mansa.
The CBI has alleged that TSPL paid an illegal gratification of Rs 50 lakh to Bell Tools Limited, which was routed to Bhaskararaman, for facilitating visa approvals and renewals for Chinese nationals in excess of the permissible rules.
The agency has further claimed that the alleged gratification was paid to secure approvals from the Ministry of Home Affairs at a time when Chidambaram’s father, P. Chidambaram, was serving as the Union Home Minister.
(IANS)
