Karti Chidambaram Sent to Tihar Jail for 12 Days
NEW DELHI : A trial court on Monday sent Karti Chidambaram, the son of former Union minister P Chidambaram, to 12-day judicial custody in the INX Media case.
Karti will now be lodged at Tihar Jail till March 24 and his pleas for separate cell and home-cooked food were also denied. CBI Special Judge Sunil Rana in his order stuck to equal treatment of prisoners, denying the request for separate jail cell and washroom as it would lead to Karti being “treated differently than other accused persons”.
he 48-year-old cited hit father’s status as ex-minister to ask for a separate cell and bathroom. He told the court that he needed a separate prison for security, arguing that his father was once the home minister of India and handled terror cases. “Some of the accused related to those cases are lodged in Tihar so I apprehend a great threat to my security,” he said.
In his application, Karti’s counsel Dayan Krishan had said that “he is the son of former union home minister and many terrorists have been prosecuted during his (P Chidambaram) tenure and there is a clear threat perception to Karti”.
“His (Karti) father P Chidambaram has dealt with stringent penal laws including TADA and MCOCA, posing a huge security threat to Karti,” the senior advocate said, adding that he needs to be secured in a separate prison and be given a separate bathroom. “He cannot be exposed to any of these criminals,” his advocate said.
When the CBI opposed the plea for separate cell on the ground that if at all there was any threat, it was to P Chidambaram and not his son, Krishnan expressed shock and said the CBI’s objection has enhanced the threat perception.
Karti Chidambaram has been in CBI custody for questioning since his arrest from Chennai Airport on February 28. He was arrested on his return from the United Kingdom in connection with the FIR lodged on May 15 last year. It alleged irregularities in the Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) clearance to INX Media for receiving overseas funds of about Rs 305 crore in 2007 when his father was Union finance minister.
The CBI had initially alleged that Karti Chidambaram received Rs 10 lakh as bribe for facilitating Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) clearance to INX Media. It, however, later revised the figure to USD 1 million (about Rs 6.50 crore at the current exchange rate and Rs 4.50 crore in 2007).
The fresh evidence in the case, which triggered Karti Chidambaram’s arrest, was based on the statement of Indrani Mukerjea, former director of INX Media (P) Ltd, who recorded it under section 164 of the CrPC before a magistrate on February 17.
The businessman also demanded home cooked food, medicines, toiletries and spectacles. The CBI contested his claim, pointing out that he had travelled abroad several times without security.
“There is no threat to his relatives and family? They roam around freely,” the CBI lawyer said, adding that there were enough security guards in jail so the “apprehension” was not justified.(With Agency Inputs ).
