Relief for Chidambarams as Karti gets bail in INX media case

New Delhi : Senior Congress leader P. Chidambaram's son Karti Chidambaram was given bail on Friday by the Delhi High Court after over three weeks of his arrest in the INX Media corruption case.

Justice S.P, Garg directed Karti to furnish a surety of Rs 10 lakh and asked him not leave the country without taking prior permission from the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) which is probing the case.

"There appears no possibility of the petitioner (Karti) to flee from justice. His parents are senior advocates, he has family to take care of, he has roots in the society and is not a previous convict," Justice Garg said, granting the bail.

Karti was arrested on February 28 for allegedly taking money to facilitate Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) clearance to INX Media in 2007 when his father was the Finance Minister in the UPA government.

The CBI has alleged irregularities were committed in giving INX Media clearance to receive Rs 305 crore in foreign investment.

Imposing additional conditions in his bail order, Justic Garg strongly directed Karti not to contact the prosecution witnesses or temper with evidence or criminally intimidate any witness in any manner.

The court also asked Karti not to close any of his bank accounts in India or abroad without informing the CBI about.

The prosecution had opposed his bail plea alleging that the accused had "already destroyed evidence" and was an "influential" person to influence witnesses.

Karti, 46, was arrested in connection with an FIR lodged on May 15 last year. The CBI initially alleged that he had received Rs 10 lakh as bribe for facilitating the FIPB clearance to INX Media. 

The figure was, however, revised later to about Rs $1 million or 6.5 crore at the current exchange rate.

The amount was paid through private company Advantage Strategic Consulting, according to the CBI.

Karti denied the allegations, saying he was in no way related to the firm.

His arrest was triggered after Indrani Mukerjea, former executive at INX Media, recorded a statment before a magistrate on February 17, accusing Karti of demanding and receiving bribe to facilitate clearance for the foreign investment,

Mukerjea is accused of her daughter Sheena Bora's murder and currently lodged in a Mumbai jail.