Karti Chidambaram

Earlier the Supreme Court had directed Karti to appear before the CBI and carry with him all documents required for his defence in the Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) approval case. Though there is no stay on his arrest, Karti has been given the liberty of being accompanied by an advocate but he will sit in an adjoining room.

A bench comprising Chief Justice J S Khehar and Justice D Y Chandrachud allowed Karti to be accompanied by a lawyer at the CBI headquarters during the questioning.

The CBI had on July 19 issued the summons asking Karti to appear before it two days later for questioning in the matter related to alleged irregularities in Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) clearance given to media group INX Media for receiving funds from Mauritius when his father was the finance minister.

Additional Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the Centre, sought an urgent hearing of the plea saying that the order was passed recently and an appeal against it has been moved today itself.

The submission was made by Additional Solicitor General G Rajagopalan before the court where Karti had challenged the circular.

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.

When the petition came up for hearing today on the question of maintainability, Justice P Velmurugan, after hearing arguments by both sides, adjourned it to July 28 without passing any interim order.

The CBI has now asked him to be present for questioning on July 21, the sources said.

Rebutting allegations that his son Karti had influenced the decisions of the now-defunct Foreign Investment Promotion Board, Chidambaram said it was a "despicable slur" on the six secretaries of the government.

Karti Chidambaram, son of senior Congress leader P. Chidambaram, today denied giving an interview to a news outlet, a photographic image of which appeared on his Facebook page for a while before it was taken down.

Officials said the central probe agency registered an Enforcement Case Information Report (ECIR), ED's equivalent of a police FIR, against the accused named in the CBI complaint including Karti, INX media and its directors, Peter and Indrani Mukerjea, and others.

Former Union Finance Minister P Chidambaram and his son, Karti Chidambaram home have been raided by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in connection with the FIPB clearance given to INX Media (now known as 9X Media).

"They have not seized any documents and cannot prove any charges against me. I have not done anything wrong," Karti told reporters here, reacting to the CBI raids at several places linked to his father and him.

The search was among the raids carried out at multiple locations across the country, including at the homes of the former finance minister and his son, CBI sources said.

"All I will say is, I shall continue to speak and write," he said in a statement here as CBI today launched searches at several places linked to the former finance minister and his son Karti over alleged favours granted in foreign investment clearance to a firm, INX Media, in 2007.

In a statement, the former Finance and Home Minister said the ED's press release issued yesterday did not refer to any specific act on the part of Karti.

The former Union Minister said the ED has a habit of "recycling allegations" from time to time.

The agency also issued a similar notice, after over two years of investigations, to another firm M/s Vasan Health Care Private Limited, which is based in Chennai, for alleged forex violations of Rs 2,262 crore.

The raids were conducted by the agencies on Vasan Eye Care and Advantage Strategic, a company that is also involved in the Aircel-Maxis deal.

ED is probing the financial transaction of Karti with Aircel just before the company was given a approval from the Foreign Investment Promotion Board.