Delhi High Court Judge Recuses From Hearing Karti Chidambaram's Plea Against Charges In Chinese Visa Scam

The Delhi High Court has listed for hearing on January 28 a plea filed by Congress MP Karti P Chindambaram challenging a trial court order framing charges against him in connection with the Chinese visa scam case.The matter was listed today before Justice Girish Kathpalia. However, the judge recused, citing personal reasons. For context, the matter was listed today before a third judge after Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma and Justice Anup Jairam Bhambhani recused from hearing it. During the hearing today, Senior Advocate Siddharth Luthra appeared for Chidambaram and said that charges against the Congress leader have been framed by the trial court for an offence which is not even alleged against him. “It is a matter without evidence. I have been sought to be roped in,” Luthra said. The judge then said: “I don't think I would be able to hear this.”“Subject to orders of the judge in charge criminal side, list this matter (on January 28) before some other bench,” the Court ordered. Chidambaram has challenged the trial court order passed on December 23, 2025. The special CBI judge had framed charges against the Congress leader and seven other accused in the case. One Chetan Shrivastava was discharged in the matter.In his plea, Chidambaram has contended that there is no material which would show any suspicion, let alone grave suspicion and hence, the case against him ought not to proceed to trial.“The Ld. Trial Court has erred and has failed to apply its judicial mind to the material and documents on record. The Ld. Trial Court has completely ignored other documents, evidence and statements of witnesses which show the absence of criminality and in doing so, the Ld. Trial Court has rendered the stage of framing of charge as an empty formality,” the plea states. It has been submitted that there was no demand or acceptance of gratification by Chidambaram and that the Trial Court incorrectly observed that Karti had demanded Rs. 50 lakh. The case concerns allegation of issuance of visas to 263 Chinese nationals in the year 2011 when P Chidambaram, Karti Chidambaram's father, was the home minister.The scheduled offences case of CBI was registered in respect to the allegations of payment of a bribe of Rs.50 lakhs by M/s. Talwandi Sabo Power Limited, a subsidiary company of the Vedanta Group, which was given a contract by the Punjab State Electricity Board (PSEB) for establishment of a 1980 MW thermal power plant at District Mansa, Punjab and M/s TSPL was in the process of establishing the said power plant with the help of a Chinese Company named M/s Shandong Electric Power Construction Corp (M/s SEPCO).It was alleged that M/s TSPL was in need of some more Project Visas for Chinese experts from M/s SEPCO as it was running behind its schedule for establishment of the said project and due to this, it was likely to have huge financial repercussions in terms of penalty and interest on bank loans etc.Project Visas were introduced in October, 2010 as a new type of visa for power and steel sectors only and detailed guidelines governing the issuance of such visas are also stated to have been issued with approval of P. Chidambaram. It was also alleged that in the said guidelines, there was no provision of re-use of the Project Visas and any deviation from the said guidelines was permitted only in rare and exceptional circumstances with approval of the Union Home Secretary and the Union Home Minister.It is CBI's case that the accused Vikas Makharia on behalf of M/s TSPL had approached the accused S. Bhaskararaman, who was a close associate of the accused Karti, and sought his help in the matter of re-use of Project Visas for his company.It was also alleged that on directions of the accused S. Bhaskararaman, Vikas Makharia had even sent a copy of the request letter through email to him and Bhaskararaman had further forwarded the same to Karti P. Chidambaram.S. Bhaskararaman later allegedly demanded an illegal gratification of Rs.50 lakhs for ensuring approval for the above said request and the demand was accepted by Vikas Makharia.It has been alleged in the CBI case that sufficient documentary evidence existed in the form of e-mails exchanged between the accused Vikas Makharia and accused S. Bhaskararaman on one side and also the accused S. Bhaskararaman and Karti P. Chidambaram on the other to substantiate the allegations of grant of approval for re-use of Project Visas on payment of a bribe of Rs.50 lakhs.Thus, it was alleged that the above approval of Union Home Secretary and Union Home Minister for the above said proposal was granted in furtherance of a criminal conspiracy hatched between all the above accused persons and some other unknown private persons and public servants and investigation to unearth the above criminal conspiracy and to identify the participants thereof is in progress.Title: Karti P Chidambaram v. Central Bureau of Investigation

Delhi High Court Judge Recuses From Hearing Karti Chidambaram's Plea Against Charges In Chinese Visa Scam

Nupur Thapliyal

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