A Delhi court has granted permission to Congress MP Karti Chidambaram, who is an accused in the Aircel-Maxis and INX Media cases, to travel to Spain and the United Kingdom from June 25 to July 17, noting that he hasn’t violated any of the conditions imposed upon him by the court before.
The four applications filed by Chidambaram in different corruption and money laundering cases were allowed as he stated his intention to attend sports championships in Spain and the UK, as well as visit his daughter who was working in London after completing her studies.
Special Judge Namrita Aggarwal, while allowing his applications, noted that on none of the occasions, the accused has violated any of the conditions imposed upon him by the court concerned.
However, the court directed Chidambaram to surrender his passport within 48 hours upon returning to India and cautioned him against tampering with evidence or influencing witnesses in the case.
“He shall not make any attempt to tamper with the evidence or influence the witnesses of this case in any manner,” the judge said.
The court also directed the applicant to provide a security deposit of Rs 1 crore, prohibited him from opening or closing any overseas bank accounts or engaging in property transactions abroad, and also to inform about his travel itinerary, address and contact details for the period abroad to the court as well as to the investigating officers in all four cases.
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the Enforcement Directorate (ED) opposed the application, expressing concerns about the possibility of evidence tampering or witness influence in other countries.
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