Court orders framing of charges against Karti Chidambaram in visa scam case

A Delhi court on Tuesday ordered the framing of charges against Congress MP Karti P. Chidambaram and six others in connection with the alleged Chinese visa scam. Special Judge (CBI) Dig Vinay Singh, presiding over the Rouse Avenue Court, found sufficient prima facie evidence to proceed with a trial. While seven individuals will face charges of criminal conspiracy, the court discharged one accused, Chetan Shrivastava, from the case. The matter is scheduled for its next hearing on January 16, 2026.

The case pertains to allegations from 2011, during the tenure of P. Chidambaram as the Union Home Minister. The CBI alleges that Karti Chidambaram and his close associate, S. Bhaskararaman, accepted a bribe of ₹50 lakh to facilitate project visas for 263 Chinese nationals. These workers were employed by Talwandi Sabo Power Limited (TSPL), a subsidiary of Vedanta, for a power project in Punjab. The agency claims the bribe was laundered through a Mumbai-based company using fictitious invoices for "consultancy services."

The CBI filed its formal chargesheet in October 2024, invoking charges of criminal conspiracy, cheating, and forgery under the Indian Penal Code, along with provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act. Key entities named in the probe include TSPL and Mumbai-based Bell Tools. Following the court's order today, Karti Chidambaram stated that the legal process offers him many avenues for defense and that he intends to pursue all of them to prove his innocence.

The "Chinese visa scam" has been a point of significant political friction between the Congress and the ruling BJP. While the defense argues that the case is a fabricated attempt to target the Chidambaram family, the investigative agencies maintain that the re-issue of project visas was done by bypassing mandatory Ministry of Home Affairs guidelines. With charges now formally ordered, the case moves into the trial phase where the prosecution will present its evidence in court.