Sivaganga Lok Sabha Congress MP Karti Chidambaram is set to face trial in a graft case linked to facilitating visas for Chinese nationals in 2011. The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has filed a charge sheet against Karti and several others, following an investigation into alleged bribery during the period when his father, P. Chidambaram, was serving as the Union Home Minister.
The charge sheet, submitted to a special court in New Delhi, names Karti Chidambaram and his aides, including S. Bhaskararaman, Viral Mehta, Anup Agarwal, Mansoor Siddiqui, and Chetan Shrivastava. Additionally, the CBI has named Talawandi Sabo Power Ltd (TSPL), a subsidiary of Vedanta, and Mumbai-based Bell Tools in the case.
The CBI has leveled charges of criminal conspiracy, cheating, and forgery under the Indian Penal Code (IPC), along with violations under the Prevention of Corruption Act. The case revolves around allegations of Karti receiving bribes to facilitate the visa process for Chinese nationals working for the power company during his father’s tenure as Home Minister.
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The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has filed a charge sheet against Sivaganga MP Karti Chidambaram following a two-year investigation into an alleged bribery case registered in 2022. The case pertains to Punjab-based Talawandi Sabo Power Ltd (TSPL), which was constructing a 1,980 MW thermal power plant. The project, which had been outsourced to Chinese firm Shandong Electric Power Construction Corp, was running behind schedule, putting TSPL at risk of penalties.
According to the CBI’s First Information Report (FIR), an executive from TSPL allegedly approached Karti Chidambaram through his “close associate” S. Bhaskararaman to avoid penal actions related to the delay. The FIR detailed findings from the CBI’s preliminary inquiry, revealing that the executive sought Karti’s help to facilitate visas for Chinese nationals working on the project during the time his father, P. Chidambaram, was serving as Home Minister.
After registering the FIR in its investigation against Sivaganga MP Karti Chidambaram, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) revealed that Karti and his associates devised a scheme to bypass the ceiling on the number of project visas allowed for a power company’s plant. According to the CBI, they allegedly secured permission to re-use 263 project visas allotted to officials of a Chinese company involved in the Talawandi Sabo Power Ltd (TSPL) project.
The CBI’s FIR highlighted that “project visas” were a special category introduced in 2010 specifically for the power and steel sectors, with detailed guidelines issued during the tenure of Karti’s father, P. Chidambaram, as Union Home Minister. However, the FIR pointed out that there was no provision for the re-issue of project visas under these guidelines.
According to the FIR filed by the CBI, Karti Chidambaram and his associates allegedly exploited a provision allowing rare deviations from visa regulations. “As per the prevalent guidelines, any deviation, in rare and exceptional cases, could only be granted with the approval of the Home Secretary. However, under the given circumstances, the re-use of project visas was likely to be approved by the then Home Minister,” the FIR stated.
The FIR further revealed that a Talawandi Sabo Power Ltd (TSPL) executive had submitted a letter to the Ministry of Home Affairs on July 30, 2011, requesting approval to re-use project visas initially issued to the company. The request was approved within a month, with permission being granted. On August 17, 2011, as directed by Karti’s associate S. Bhaskararaman, the executive emailed a copy of the July 30 letter to Bhaskararaman, who then forwarded it to Karti.
According to the CBI’s findings, Bhaskararaman, after consulting with then Home Minister P. Chidambaram, demanded a bribe of Rs 50 lakh to ensure the approval of the visa re-issue. This alleged demand for illegal gratification is a key element in the graft case now being pursued in court.
In a 2022 statement, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) claimed that Talawandi Sabo Power Ltd (TSPL), a private company based in Mansa, Punjab, sought to avoid penalties for project delays by bringing in additional Chinese professionals to their site. TSPL allegedly required project visas beyond the limit set by the Ministry of Home Affairs.
According to the CBI FIR, a bribe was paid to Karti Chidambaram and his associate S. Bhaskararaman to secure these visas. The payment was routed through Bell Tools Ltd, disguised as two invoices for “consultancy and out-of-pocket expenses” related to Chinese visas. The FIR further stated that a TSPL executive later sent an email thanking Karti Chidambaram and Bhaskararaman for their assistance in obtaining the visa approvals.
In its statement, the CBI alleged that Talawandi Sabo Power Ltd (TSPL) made payments to Bell Tools Ltd through cheques for visa-related consultancy services. However, the CBI claims these payments were a front, with the funds later given in cash to Karti Chidambaram’s aide, S. Bhaskararaman. Bell Tools Ltd, according to the CBI, had no involvement in visa-related work and operated in an entirely different sector, specializing in industrial knives.
The FIR also linked Karti Chidambaram to financial dealings with the Vedanta Group. It stated that P. Chidambaram, Karti’s father, had been on Vedanta’s board, and in 2003, Karti’s company, Meltraack India Limited, received a Rs 1.5 crore loan from Sterlite Optical Technologies Ltd, a Vedanta subsidiary. The loan’s interest was waived in August 2004 when P. Chidambaram assumed office as Finance Minister.
The CBI further alleged that Karti and Bhaskararaman collected payments to resolve issues pending with government offices, leveraging P. Chidambaram’s ministerial influence across various ministries.
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