Karti Chidambaram moves HC against 'look out circular' in corruption case

CHENNAI: Former union minister P Chidambaram's son Karti Chidambaram today moved the Madras High Court for quashing a "look out circular" issued against him under the Passport Act over a corruption case filed by the CBI.

In his petition, Karti contended that the July 18 circular had been issued arbitrarily and without jurisdiction by the Foreigner Regional Registration Officer (FRRO) and The Bureau of Immigration under the Union home ministry at the behest of different agencies to prevent him from travelling abroad.

"The circular is a well thought out and meticulously orchestrated fraudulent plan of the CBI to stop me at the airport as and when I proceed abroad by springing an unpleasant surprise on me and leak it to the media that I was detained at the airport and cause embarrassment to me," he alleged.

He said he had responded to the summonses issued by the CBI in connection with the case and there was "no absolute cause of action" for issuance of the LOC.

The case related to alleged irregularities in the FIPB clearance to INX Media for receiving overseas funds when his father was the Finance Minister in 2007.

When the matter came up for hearing before Justice D Duraiswamy, he adjourned it to August 7 after Additional Solicitor General G Rajagopalan sought time to get instructions on whether such a circular had been issued.

The petitioner had been summoned twice by the CBI since June this year to appear before it for questioning in connection with alleged irregularities in the clearance given by the Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) to the media group for allegedly receiving funds from Mauritius when his father was the finance minister in 2007.

Karti had sought time to appear before the CBI, which had on May 15 registered an FIR against him and others alleging that a firm "indirectly controlled" by him had received money from INX Media, run by Indrani and Peter Mukerjea.

In his petition, Karti submitted that the LOC, which was used to monitor the arrival departure of foreigners and Indians or to restrict their movement, had been issued to restrain him from going abroad.

Claiming that the CBI issued the summons when he was abroad on personal work, Karti said his counsel had duly informed the CBI about this through a letter dated June 20.

He said the LOC was a coercive measure to make a person surrender to the investigating agency only if it was amply demonstrated that he repeatedly and deliberately failed to cooperate with the investigation.