Karti P. Chidambaram, son of former Union Finance Minister P. Chidambaram, on Friday moved the Madras High Court seeking the recall of a ‘lookout notice’ issued by the Foreigner Regional Registration Officer (FRRO), Bureau of Immigration, against him.
On July 18, the FRRO issued a Look Out Circular (LOC) against Mr. Karti, at the request of the CBI.
In his petition, Mr. Karti said there was no arrest or non-bailable warrant pending against him, “and hence the question of defying the NBW does not arise. There is no likelihood of the petitioner [Karti] leaving the country to evade trial or arrest since he has already filed a writ petition to quash the FIR registered by the CBI, and the matter is sub judice”.
He said it was wholly arbitrary of the DIG, CBI to have made a request for an LOC to be issued against him and that it was an abuse of authority. Mr. Karti said the LOC was unwarranted.
“In any event, the fact that the writ petitions challenging the FIR dated July 15 were scheduled to be heard on July 21 was intimated to the investigating officer, CBI on July 18. Hence there was absolutely no cause of action for issuance of the look out circular dated July 18,” he said.
He further said that the LOC was a meticulously orchestrated plan of the CBI to stop him at the airport as and when he proceeds abroad “by springing an unpleasant surprise on him and leak it to the press that he was detained at the airport and cause acute embarrassment”.
Scheduled visit
He submitted that he was scheduled to visit the U.K. on August 16 for two weeks and the LOC would jeopardise his travel plans. The CBI has accused Mr. Karti of having received commissions via a company associated with him to scuttle a possible probe by the Department of Revenue into the allegations against INX Media, then owned by Peter and Indrani Mukerjea.
Justice M. Duraiswamy adjourned the matter to August 7.
( With inputs from Delhi Bureau )
