Congress leader Karti Chidambaram has petitioned the Delhi High Court to quash a CBI FIR accusing him of influencing the duty-free sale of Diageo whisky. He claims procedural lapses, including lack of identification of public servants and absence of required approval under the Prevention of Corruption Act, render the FIR illegal.
New Delhi: Congress leader Karti Chidambaram has approached the Delhi High Court, seeking to quash a new FIR filed against him by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). The FIR accuses him of allegedly providing undue benefits to Diageo Scotland, a leading alcoholic beverage company, by influencing the lifting of a ban on the duty-free sale of its whisky.
The case against Chidambaram includes charges under Sections 120B (criminal conspiracy), 420 (cheating), and 471 (using forged documents as genuine) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), along with provisions under the Prevention of Corruption (PC) Act, specifically Sections 8, 9, 13(2), and 13(1)(d).
The CBI claims that Chidambaram accepted bribes in the form of sham contracts and share transactions. However, in his petition, Chidambaram has argued that he was not summoned during the preliminary inquiry and that the FIR does not identify any specific public servant allegedly influenced by him.
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Chidambaram’s plea highlights several issues regarding the FIR’s validity. He emphasized that there was a significant delay in filing the FIR and argued that no prima facie case had been established. His petition also states that the FIR was registered without prior approval under Section 17-A of the PC Act, which is mandatory when filing cases against public servants.
According to the plea, this procedural lapse renders the FIR illegal, and as a result, any investigation or inquiry based on it should also be considered void.
One of the central points raised in Chidambaram’s petition is that the FIR neither names any specific public servant nor establishes direct evidence of his involvement.
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“The registration of the FIR itself is illegal, as it targets unidentified public servants without the requisite legal clearance,”
his plea argued.
Chidambaram has sought the intervention of the Delhi High Court to quash this FIR, contending that the allegations lack legal basis and procedural compliance.
Case Title: Karti P. Chidambaram v. CBI
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