Chinese Visa Scam Case: Delhi Court To Pronounce Verdict On ED's Chargesheet Against Karti Chidambaram, Others On March 16

New Delhi: The Rouse Avenue Court, after considering the submissions from the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Monday, reserved its order on the cognizance point of the Prosecution Complaint (Chargesheet) related to the money laundering case involving Congress MP Karti Chidambaram and others in connection with the Chinese Visa case. The Special Judge MK Nagpal noted the agency's counsel's arguments and has scheduled the pronouncement of the order for March 16, 2024.

Karti Chidambaram, Others Named In ED Chargesheet

The Enforcement Directorate recently filed a prosecution complaint, naming Karti Chidambaram, S Bhaskararaman, and several others, along with various firms, as accused, according to sources.

Karti Seeks Anticipatory Bail In High Court

In response to the case, Karti Chidambaram had previously sought anticipatory bail in the Delhi High Court, where ASG SV Raju assured orally that no coercive action would be taken during the pending matter. Senior Advocate Kapil Sibal, representing Chidambaram, argued that there is no material against the accused, emphasizing that no money laundering case can be established without allegations of funds being transferred to Karti Chidambaram. Sibal pointed out that the alleged transaction dates back to 2011, and the case was registered in 2022.

Expressing concern about possible arrest, Sibal highlighted that the ED registered the ECIR within ten days of the FIR by CBI. He stressed that, unlike the CBI case, where a 72-hour notice was provided before arrest, the apprehension of immediate arrest without notice exists in the ED case. Sibal urged the court to grant bail, considering the transaction's value is below one crore.

ED's Counters Premature Bail Application

ASG S V Raju countered, stating that the bail application is premature as there is no substantial material available at this stage. Raju questioned the genuineness of the apprehension of arrest, emphasizing that no summon has been issued yet, and only an ECIR has been registered. The argument is made that the application is premature, and apprehension of arrest is not justified without a case being established.

Previous Dismissal Of Applications

It's noteworthy that CBI Judge M K Nagpal of the Rouse Avenue Court had earlier dismissed all three applications moved by Karti Chidambaram, S. Bhaskararaman, and Vikas Makharia on June 3, 2022.