Karti named in FIR, Rs 50 lakh bribe paid to help Chinese nationals: CBI
Darpan News Desk IANS, 17 May, 2022 10:41 AM
New Delhi, May 17 (IANS) The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Tuesday said Karti Chidambaram has been named as an accused in an FIR lodged against the alleged issuance of visas to Chinese nationals by flouting rules.
The latest development comes amid the ongoing raids being conducted at 10 places in Chennai, Mumbai, Koppal (Karnataka), Jharsuguda (Odisha), Mansa (Punjab) and Delhi belonging to former Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram and his son Karti.
Talwandi Sabo Power Limited, a private firm based in Mansa, took the help of a middleman and allegedly paid Rs 50 lakh to get the visa issued for the Chinese nationals which would help it in completing a project before the deadline, according to the CBI.
Besides Karti Chidambaram, Chennai-based S.Bhaskararaman, who is said to be a close associate, has also been named as an accused in the FIR.
"The Mansa-based private firm was in the process of establishing a 1,980 MW thermal power plant and establishing of plant was outsourced to a Chinese Company. The project was running behind its schedule. In order to avoid penal actions for the delay, the said private company was trying to bring more and more Chinese persons, professionals for their site at Mansa and needed project visas over and above the ceiling imposed by Ministry of Home Affairs," a CBI official said.
The official said that for the said purpose, the representative of the private company approached a person based in Chennai through his close associate and thereafter they devised a back-door to defeat the purpose of ceiling (maximum of project visas permissible to the company's plant) by granting permission to reuse 263 vISAs allotted to the Chinese company's officials.
In pursuance of the same, the representative of the private company submitted a letter to the Union Ministry of Home Affairs seeking approval to reuse the visas, which was approved within a month and permission was issued.
It has been alleged that the senior Chidambaram allegedly helped Chinese getting visas by flouting rules.
The raids started at 8 am and is still going on. The CBI is also recording the statements of the persons who are at the house of the Chidambarams.
Meanwhile, P. Chidambaram took to Twitter and criticised the raid.
"This morning, a CBI team searched my residence at Chennai and my official residence at Delhi. The team showed me a FIR in which I am not named as an accused. The search team found nothing and seized nothing. I may point out that the timing of the search is interesting."
The Supreme Court on Friday directed the Registrar General of Punjab and Haryana High Court to secure and preserve all records in connection with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Punjab, and also asked the state and Central committees to refrain from conducting inquiries till Monday, when it will take up the matter again.
India on Friday revised the existing guidelines for all international arrivals in India in view of the rising Covid cases and the Omicron threat, to make seven days home quarantine mandatory. The new guidelines will be effective from January 11 till further notice.
On Wednesday, the Prime Minister's rally in Ferozepur had to be cancelled due to a security lapse after some protesters blocked a route and forced his convoy to spend about 20 minutes on a flyover. The Prime Minister was enroute the National Martyrs Memorial at Hussainiwala when the incident happened.
On Thursday, senior BJP leaders including chief ministers of the party ruled states offered prayers at temples across the country for the well-being and long life of Prime Minister Modi after his security was breached in Punjab on January 5.
Most of these farmers had earlier stated that they were present at the spot but were not involved in the attack. They were, at that time, charged under bailable sections such as 'rioting' and 'voluntarily causing hurt' and were let off by the SIT officials under Section 41 of the CrPC.
The Congress is witnessing internal bickering on the issue of security breach of the Prime Minister and Congress MP from Punjab Manish Tewari has termed the incidence as most unfortunate and said the matter should be probed by a sitting High Court Judge.
