The arrest of Karti Chidamabaram comes just days after his father and senior Congress leader P. Chidambaram filed a petition in the Supreme Court, alleging “continued harassment” of him and his family members.
Mr. Chidambaram, who was closely monitoring the case in the Supreme Court with party colleague and senior advocate Kapil Sibal representing his son, sprung a surprise last week by filing a petition accusing the CBI and the Enforcement Directorate of carrying out a political vendetta against him and his family.
In his petition, Mr. Chidambaram sought a court direction prohibiting the CBI and the Enforcement Directorate from continuing their “illegal investigation” and from acting in any manner “causing repeated harassment” to him and his family members, including his son. However, the CBI swung into action even before his petition could come up for hearing before the top court by arresting Mr. Karti.
In his plea, Mr. Chidambaram said that in the INX Media case, though the CBI lodged an FIR in May 2017, the agencies had not filed any report “concluding that any criminal offence had been committed or that any proceeds of crime had arisen out of that criminal offence”. He said his fundamental rights were being violated, and the Central government was “misusing” its agencies.
Mr. Chidambaram, in his petition, said that his fundamental rights were being violated by “illegal” investigations being carried out by the CBI and the ED and the Union government had been “misusing” its investigation agencies.
He said that being the Finance Minister then, he had granted FIPB approvals in the INX Media case and the Aircel-Maxis case in the “normal course of official business”.
He had never allowed any member of his family to influence the conduct of official business.