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A Delhi court is set to deliver its order on March 5 regarding Congress MP Karti Chidambaram’s plea to stay the proceedings in the alleged Chinese visa scam money laundering case.
The Special Judge, Kaveri Baweja, reserved the order after hearing arguments on Karti Chidambaram’s application on Saturday. The plea seeks a stay on the case, citing a lack of necessary sanction from the authorities concerned.
Karti, the son of former Union Minister P. Chidambaram, has been accused in a money laundering case linked to an alleged scam involving the issuance of visas to 263 Chinese nationals in 2011, during his father’s tenure as the home minister.
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) had filed the money laundering case based on the investigation carried out by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), which had registered an FIR on the same issue.
The ED invoked the criminal provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) in its case, accusing Karti and others of facilitating the issuance of the visas. According to the charges, Karti and others are said to have misused their positions to enable Chinese nationals to obtain visas illegally, allegedly in exchange for financial gain.
Karti’s defense argues that the proceedings should be stayed, citing that the necessary sanction from relevant authorities for prosecuting the case against him is absent, which could render the legal process invalid. The outcome of this plea could have a significant impact on the course of the case, as Karti’s legal team continues to challenge the validity of the proceedings.
The court’s upcoming order on March 5 will be pivotal in determining whether the legal battle continues in its current form or whether there will be a delay due to the lack of sanction. The case has drawn significant political attention, with Karti Chidambaram continuing to maintain his innocence amid the ongoing investigation.
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