Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma of the Delhi High Court recused herself from hearing a plea by Karti P. Chidambaram concerning bribery allegations linked to Diageo Scotland. The petition relates to a CBI corruption FIR accusing him of involvement in alleged payments made to influence government decisions in favour of the company.
Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma of the Delhi High Court recused herself from hearing a petition filed by Congress MP Karti Chidambaram, which concerns allegations of bribery involving alcoholic beverage company Diageo Scotland.
Chidambaram approached the court seeking to have the corruption case registered by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in connection with the matter quashed.
When the case came up for hearing on Tuesday, Justice Sharma said it would need to be placed before a different bench in July.
She further noted that a separate case filed by Advantage Strategic Consulting Private Limited, also relating to the same CBI FIR, will likewise be taken up by a different bench.
The CBI has filed a new corruption case against Congress MP Karti P. Chidambaram, linked to events from the mid-2000s (around 2005–2008) involving Diageo Scotland Ltd., the UK-based liquor company famous for brands such as Johnnie Walker.
Karti P. Chidambaram has been charged by the Central Bureau of Investigation for alleged offences of criminal conspiracy under Section 120B and cheating under Section 420 of the Indian Penal Code, along with violations of the Prevention of Corruption Act.
According to the FIR, Diageo Scotland suffered losses after the India Tourism Development Corporation (ITDC) introduced a ban on the sale of duty-free whisky in India.
The CBI has alleged that Diageo Scotland and the investment firm Sequoia Capital made questionable payments including around USD 15,000 to Advantage Strategic Consulting Pvt. Ltd., a firm that investigators claim was controlled by Karti Chidambaram and his associate S. Bhaskararaman.
In earlier, Justice Tejas Karia of the Delhi High Court stepped aside from hearing a PIL seeking contempt action against Arvind Kejriwal and others over alleged unauthorised court video recordings. The case will now be heard by a different bench as the controversy around viral courtroom videos intensifies.