NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court, after perusing CBI's confidential probe report against Karti Chidambaram, said on Thursday that he could be allowed to go abroad for few days and sought response from the agency which expressed apprehension that he might try to tamper with the evidences and might not come back if allowed to go abroad.
Appearing before a bench of Chief Justice Dipak Misra, Justices A M Khanwilkar and D Y Chandrachud, additional solicitor general Tushar Mehta placed CBI's probe report in a sealed envelope containing evidences collected against Karti. The ASG told the court that Karti had tampered with the evidences and closed bank accounts in foreign banks when he went abroad in June and July.
The court, however, raised question on why Karti was not being interrogated by CBI on the basis new evidences it had collected and asked Tushar Mehta on how long the agency would take to complete the probe initiated against him.
"This is the beginning and not the end. CBI cannot disclose line of its investigation and the evidence collected by it at this stage. There is unusual vehemence on his part to go abroad. What happened in June and July and his eagerness to go abroad again does not inspire confidence," Mehta said. He also told the bench that it was not "prudent" at this stage to call him for interrogation.
Mehta's plea was strongly opposed by senior advocates Kapil Sibal and Gopal Subramanium, appearing for Karti, and said that allegation made by CBI was baseless and dared the agency to place documents before SC to prove that their client had multiple overseas bank account which were later on closed by him. "If there is any such document containing my signature then ask them(CBI) to produce before the court," Sibal said
The bench, after hearing both sides, said that Karti could be allowed to go abroad for 4-5 days with certain condition to control his movements abroad. The court asked the ASG to take instruction from CBI whether it was agreeable to allow Karti to go overseas for few days and conditions to be imposed on him to ensure that he returned back to co-operate with the agency in teh ongoing probe against him.
The court granted CBI one week time to respond and posted the case for hearing to November 16.
CBI has alleged that Karti had received commission in irregular FIPB approval for foreign investment granted to INX Media in 2007, when his father P Chidambaram was the Union finance minister.
Appearing before a bench of Chief Justice Dipak Misra, Justices A M Khanwilkar and D Y Chandrachud, additional solicitor general Tushar Mehta placed CBI's probe report in a sealed envelope containing evidences collected against Karti. The ASG told the court that Karti had tampered with the evidences and closed bank accounts in foreign banks when he went abroad in June and July.
The court, however, raised question on why Karti was not being interrogated by CBI on the basis new evidences it had collected and asked Tushar Mehta on how long the agency would take to complete the probe initiated against him.
"This is the beginning and not the end. CBI cannot disclose line of its investigation and the evidence collected by it at this stage. There is unusual vehemence on his part to go abroad. What happened in June and July and his eagerness to go abroad again does not inspire confidence," Mehta said. He also told the bench that it was not "prudent" at this stage to call him for interrogation.
Mehta's plea was strongly opposed by senior advocates Kapil Sibal and Gopal Subramanium, appearing for Karti, and said that allegation made by CBI was baseless and dared the agency to place documents before SC to prove that their client had multiple overseas bank account which were later on closed by him. "If there is any such document containing my signature then ask them(CBI) to produce before the court," Sibal said
The bench, after hearing both sides, said that Karti could be allowed to go abroad for 4-5 days with certain condition to control his movements abroad. The court asked the ASG to take instruction from CBI whether it was agreeable to allow Karti to go overseas for few days and conditions to be imposed on him to ensure that he returned back to co-operate with the agency in teh ongoing probe against him.
The court granted CBI one week time to respond and posted the case for hearing to November 16.
CBI has alleged that Karti had received commission in irregular FIPB approval for foreign investment granted to INX Media in 2007, when his father P Chidambaram was the Union finance minister.
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