Karti seeks return of ₹10-cr travel deposit

NEW DELHI: Karti Chidambaram, facing criminal cases being probed by the Central Bureau of Investigation and Enforcement Directorate, moved the Supreme Court on Tuesday, seeking the return of ~10 crore which he had earlier deposited in the apex court registry for travelling abroad, saying he had taken the money on loan and was paying interest on it.

The matter was mentioned before a vacation bench comprising Justices Indira Banerjee and Sanjiv Khanna which asked Karti’s counsel to mention the matter before the regular bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi later.

Karti’s counsel told the bench that he had earlier deposited Rs 10 crore in the court registry for travelling abroad and since he has returned to India, the money should be returned by the registry. “I (Karti) had taken a loan of ~10 crore. I am paying interest on it. I had returned to India,” the counsel said, adding, “I (Karti) was allowed to travel abroad after depositing ~10 crore. I have returned back. The registry is saying that you give us a formal order of the court then only we will return the money”.

After hearing the brief submissions of Karti’s counsel, the bench said, “You mention it before the regular bench”.

On May 7, a bench headed by the CJI had allowed Karti, son of former Union minister and senior Congress leader P Chidambaram, to travel to the United Kingdom, US, France, Germany and Spain in May and June this year. “The applicant (Karti) shall make a deposit of ~10 crore only before the Secretary General of this Court, which will be returned to him after he comes back to the country,” the bench had said in its May 7 order.

The apex court had in January also granted Karti permission to travel abroad after depositing ~10 crore with the secretary general of the Supreme Court.