Karti Chidambaram, son of former Finance Minister P. Chidambaram, urged the Supreme Court on Monday to allow him to travel overseas while even assuring the court that he will not visit any bank abroad.
"He wants to go to the Cambridge to get his daughter admitted. He is willing to give an undertaking that he will not visit any bank there," senior lawyer Kapil Sibal, appearing for Mr. Karti, submitted.
A Bench led by Chief Justice Dipak Misra agreed to hear the plea on October 10 at 4 p.m.
The plea came on a petition filed by Mr. Karti challenging a Look Out Circular (LOC) issued by the government, preventing him from travelling abroad.
In a previous, the CBI accused Mr. Karti of closing several bank accounts abroad when he came under the scanner of the probe agency. Additional Solicitor General Tushar Mehta had submitted that the LOC was only issued with the intent to ensure Mr. Karti’s participation in the investigation.
Mr. Mehta had said the agency wanted to submit details of the investigation in a sealed cover, submitting that “what he did abroad is part of this sealed cover”.
However, Mr. Sibal took strong exception to the CBI handing over any such sealed covers, and argued that if the agency had proof, it should register an FIR rather hand over to the Supreme Court such allegedly incriminating documents which may prejudice the court against his client.
Mr. Sibal also took strong exception to the CBI’s description of his client as an “accused.” Mr. Sibal said the LOC was issued without even a prior notice to him to appear before the CBI.
Mr. Sibal argued that the apex court should not accept any sealed cover reports from the CBI unless they are furnished to Mr. Karti also.
The Bench had then asked Mr. Mehta to lead arguments on the point whether an investigating agency could depend on information gathered during the course of investigation to justify an LOC without sharing the copies of the same details with Mr. Karti.
