Frame charges against Karti Chidambaram in Chinese visa scam: Court

A Delhi court has ordered the framing of charges of criminal conspiracy and corruption against Congress MP Karti Chidambaram and six others in the Chinese visa scam case. Special Judge Dig Vinay Singh on Tuesday rejected Chidambaram’s plea for discharge but cleared one accused, Chetan Shrivastava, citing lack of evidence. The case stems from alleged bribery in 2011 to facilitate additional and reused project visas for Chinese nationals working on a power project of Talwandi Sabo Power Ltd (TSPL) in Punjab, when Karti Chidambaram’s father, P. Chidambaram, was Union Home Minister. Besides Chidambaram, the court ordered charges against his alleged associate and chartered accountant S. Bhaskararaman and others.

In October 2024, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) had filed a charge sheet against Karti Chidambaram and others for bribery to facilitate visas for Chinese nationals working with a power company in 2011, when his father P Chidambaram was the Union Home Minister. In the charge sheet submitted before a special court, the CBI named Sivaganga MP Karti Chidambaram, his associate S Bhaskararaman of Talwandi Sabo Power Ltd (TSPL), and Mumbai-based Bell Tools, through which the bribes were allegedly routed, as the accused. CBI invoked charges of criminal conspiracy, cheating and forgery under the Indian Penal Code, along with provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act. The other accused included Viral Mehta, Anup Agarwal, Mansoor Siddiqui and Chetan Shrivastava.