New Delhi Dec 23 (.) Rouse Avenue Court on Tuesday framed charges against Congress leader Karti Chidambaram and his Chartered Accountant S. Bhaskararaman in connection with the alleged Chinese Visa Racket case being probed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).
The court also charged Bhaskararaman for allegedly destroying crucial evidence related to the case. Both accused pleaded not guilty, following which the court scheduled the next hearing for January 16.
The CBI has granted approver status to Vikas Makharia, who is expected to play a key role in the prosecution’s case. As per the CBI’s FIR, a private firm based in Mansa, Punjab—Talwandi Sabo Power Limited, allegedly paid Rs 50 lakh through intermediaries to facilitate the issuance of visas for Chinese nationals.
The firm was setting up a 1,980 MW thermal power plant, the construction of which had been outsourced to a Chinese company. With the project running behind schedule, the company allegedly sought to bring in additional Chinese professionals beyond the visa ceiling fixed by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA).
CBI officials stated that to bypass these restrictions, the company’s representatives approached a Chennai-based individual through associates. A plan was allegedly devised to reuse 263 Project Visas earlier granted to Chinese officials, effectively circumventing the MHA’s cap.
Following this, a request letter was submitted to the MHA seeking approval for reusing the visas, which was cleared within a month. According to investigators, a bribe of Rs 50 lakh was demanded by the Chennai-based individual and paid by the Punjab-based firm.
The money was allegedly routed through a Mumbai-based company under the guise of consultancy and out-of-pocket expenses for visa-related work. The CBI claims the Mumbai firm had no role in visa processing and was actually engaged in the business of industrial knives.
The agency has further alleged that Karti Chidambaram’s father, senior Congress leader and former union Minister P. Chidambaram, helped facilitate visas for Chinese nationals in violation of established norms.
. ATK PPP .