Visa scam case: CBI court grants bail to Karti Chidambaram

New Delhi, Jun 9: A Special CBI court granted bail to Congress leader Karti Chidambaram's CA S Bhaskararaman in an alleged Chinese visa scam case.

Bhaskararaman was arrested by CBI in the month of May.

Last week, Congress MP Karti Chidambaram and two others' anticipatory bail applications were dismissed by the Special CBI court in connection with the money laundering case.

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) filed a money laundering case in an alleged Chinese visa scam involving Congress MP Karti Chidambaram, officials said earlier. The ED registered the case under the criminal sections of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, taking cognisance of a recent First Information Report registered by the Central Bureau of Investigation in the case, said the officials.

It is alleged that Karti received illegal gratification of Rs 50 lakh to illegally facilitate visas for 263 Chinese nationals' to complete a power project in Punjab.

Karti 'misused his influence' in the Home Ministry in 2011 and 'conspired' with co-accused to devise a "back-door way to defeat the purpose of the ceiling" on work permits imposed by the Ministry, CBI has alleged. Karti's father and senior Congress leader P Chidambaram was Home Minister in 2011. P Chidambaram has not been named as an accused in the FIR.

Besides Karti, four others have been booked by the CBI. The four co-accused are Karti's chartered accountant S. Bhaskararaman, Vikas Makharia, representative of Talwandi Sabo Power Ltd, a Mansa-based private company, and Bell Tools, Mumbai, have been named. The FIR also mentions "unknown public servants and private individuals" too.

On May 17, CBI arrested S Bhaskarraman close in the alleged visa scam.