Karti Chidambaram has been questioned twice in the last two months by the CBI.
Karti Chidambaram, who is being interrogated by the Central Bureau of Investigation in a corruption case, can't travel abroad till 9 October, the Supreme Court said today. The lookout notice against him - which alerts airports to stop a passenger from traveling abroad - will continue till at least October 9, the next date of hearing, the court said.
The court's response came today on an appeal filed by the CBI against the Madras High Court order cancelling the lookout notice issued by the agency against Karti Chidambaram, the son of former union minister P Chidambaram. The
45-year-old businessman has also approached the top court, seeking a freeze on the summons issued by the investigating agency to question him in the Aircel-Maxis scam probe.
Karti Chidambaram has said the allegations against him are politically motivated. P Chidambaram has said the government was targeting him because Karti was his son. The family has challenged the government to prove that Karti Chidambaram has taken any kickbacks or parked funds in offshore accounts.
The Supreme Court asked if the case can be heard by a division bench of the Madras High Court, where the main petition by Karti Chidambaram is pending. The CBI said it would revert on this issue.
Karti Chidambaram has already been questioned twice in the last two months. He had been asked to appear again before the agency on October 4.
The CBI today said it wanted to submit documents regarding the foreign bank accounts owned by Karti Chidambaram to the top court. The agency contends that the accounts is where the money from the kickbacks has been parked and Karti Chidambaram has been trying to go abroad to close these accounts.
Karti Chidambaram is being investigated over allegations that he used his father's influence to clear foreign investment worth around Rs. 300 crore in a television company. The company, INX Media, was owned at the time by Peter and Indrani Mukerjea, who are currently in jail on charges of murdering Ms Mukerjea's daughter Sheena Bora.