Delhi HC judge recuses herself from hearing Karti’s bail plea

NEW DELHI: KARTI CHIDAMBARAM HAD MOVED THE HIGH COURT SEEKING BAIL, HOURS AFTER A COURT HERE SENT HIM TO JUDICIAL CUSTODY TILL MARCH 24

Justice Indermeet Kaur of the Delhi high court on Tuesday recused herself from hearing the bail plea of Karti Chidambaram, arrested by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in the INX Media corruption case.

Justice Kaur, who did not give any reason for her recusal, said she would refer the matter to the acting chief justice for assigning the bail plea to another bench for Tuesday.

The bail plea was on Monday mentioned before a bench of acting chief justice Gita Mittal and justice C Hari Shankar and was listed for hearing.

Karti’s parents P Chidambaram and Nalini Chidambaram, both senior advocates, were present in the courtroom.

Karti, the arrested son of former Union minister P Chidambaram, had moved the high court seeking bail, hours after a court here sent him to judicial custody till March 24.

A special court on Monday sent Karti to judicial custody in the INX Media corruption case and dismissed his plea that he be put in a separate cell in Tihar Jail in view of a threat perception. It also dismissed his appeal for an urgent hearing on his bail plea and the threat perception due to the fact that his father, as a Union minister in the previous UPA government, had handled several sensitive issues.

The court had sent him to Tihar Jail after the CBI, in whose custody he was quizzed for 12 days in a row after his arrest on February 28 from Chennai, said he was no longer required for further custodial interrogation. The court said his bail plea would be heard on March 15 as scheduled.

Karti was arrested by the CBI on his return from the United Kingdom in connection with an FIR lodged on May 15 last year. It alleged irregularities in a Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) clearance given to INX Media for receiving funds of about ₹305 crore from overseas in 2007 when his father was finance minister.

The CBI initially alleged that Karti received ₹10 lakh as a bribe for facilitating the FIPB clearance to INX Media. It later revised the figure to US$1 million (about ₹6.5 crore at current exchange rate and ₹4.5 crore in 2007). The fresh evidence in the case, which triggered the arrest, was based on a statement of Indrani Mukerjea, former director of INX Media (P) Ltd.