Supreme Court says Karti Chidambaram cannot leave country
Karti Chidambaram
The court asked Karti -- former finance minister P Chidambaram's son -- to join the CBI investigation in the corruption case against him
The Supreme Court of India on Monday overruled a Madras High Court order staying the lookout notice against Karti Chidambaram, son of former finance minister P Chidambaram, to prevent him from leaving the country.
The lookout circulars were issued by the central government over a corruption case filed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).
The top court has asked Karti Chidambaram, a businessman and Congress member, to join the CBI investigation in the corruption case against him. The court has directed him to appear before the CBI and has forbidden him from travelling abroad.
The court also asked the Madras High Court to decide on Karti’s plea seeking quashing of the FIR against him.
A bench of Chief Justice JS Khehar and Justice DY Chandrachud stayed the August 10 order till the next date of hearing which it fixed for Friday.
The top court order came on a petition by the CBI that the Madras High Court did not have any territorial jurisdiction to entertain the plea and stay the lookout notice.
The CBI told the court that the lookout notice was only to prevent Karti Chidambaram from leaving the country.
The Madras High Court had granted an interim stay on the look out circulars.
In his petition to the high court, Karti said that the circular was part of the central government's “political vendetta” which was issued “arbitrarily”.
He also said it was issued without jurisdiction to prevent him from travelling abroad.
Lookout circulars are issued by an investigating agency over apprehensions that the suspect may leave the country or try to evade the probe.
The CBI had on June 15 issued a notice to Karti and his four associates to appear before it for questioning in their headquarters at Delhi between June 27 and June 29.
The CBI accuses Karti of facilitating Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) clearance given to media group INX Media Pvt Ltd for "kickbacks" when his father P Chidambaram was the finance minister.
Karti has denied the accusations against him as being politically motivated.
Chidambaram has denied the charges and said that FIPB approval was granted in "hundreds of cases."
He also accused the government of using investigating agencies to target his son and his friends to "silence" his voice against the government.