Former Union Minister P. Chidambaram’s son Karti P. Chidambaram succeeded in flying to Europe along with his family on Sunday after the Income Tax department, in a special hearing held by the Madras High Court during the intervening night between Saturday and Sunday, agreed to keep an arrest warrant, issued against him, in abeyance till June 28.
Justice A.D. Jagadish Chandira closed an advance bail petition moved by Mr. Karti after recording an undertaking given by A.P. Srinivas, Senior Standing Counsel for IT department, that the warrant shall not be executed since the petitioner had given in writing that he shall appear before the I-T sleuths in Chennai on June 28 after returning from Spain on June 26.
The issue relates to action initiated by the I-T department against the former Minister’s wife Nalini Chidambaram, son Karti and daughter-in-law Srinidhi Karti Chidambaram under the Black Money (Undisclosed Foreign Income and Assets) Imposition of Tax Act of 2015 for having jointly purchased an immovable property at a cost of £ 5.35 lakh in Cambridge, U.K.
The department claimed that the trio failed to appear before the I-T sleuths for recording their statements despite having been issued with summons on as many as three occasions. Hence, the officials, by exercising the powers of a civil court conferred upon them under Section 8(1) of the Act, issued arrest warrant against Mr. Karti Chidambaram alone.
However, in the meantime, he had made arrangements for going to Spain along with his family on Sunday since the Supreme Court had granted him permission to fly abroad in another case pending against him. Fearing that the present warrant might come in the way of his tour plan, his counsel approached Chief Justice Indira Banerjee on Saturday night.
After obtaining permission from her to move an urgent anticipatory bail application before Mr. Justice Chandira, who holds the relevant portfolio at present, a midnight hearing was held at the latter’s residence in the presence of IT officials as well as their counsel who rushed to the spot on being informed of the petition over the phone.
Absence of assistants
The proceedings went way beyond midnight and the judge had to even write down the order in his own hand due to the absence of his personal assistants who could not make it to his residence during the odd hours. The judge simply closed the advance bail application since the officials themselves agreed to keep the warrant in abeyance.
