CHENNAI, Jan 21:
The Madras High Court on Tuesday stayed till January 27, framing of charges against Senior Congress leader and former Union Minister P Chidmabaram’s son Karti Chidambaram and his wife Srinidhi in a case relating to alleged non-disclosure of income for the 2015-16 fiscal and tax evasion.
When the petitions filed by them came up for hearing, Mr Justice M Sundar granted an interim stay till Monday next.
In their pleas, they sought a direction to stall the proceedings against the Special Court trying cases against elected MLAs and MPs, before which they were supposed to appear today for framing of charges.
Special Court Judge D Lingeswaran had on January seven dismissed their discharge petition observing that there were adequate grounds to presume the accused has committed offences, while finding merit in the evidence submitted by the prosecution.
Rejecting the plea of the accused that hard drives could not be admitted as evidence, the Judge said it was clear that the hard drives in question were seized from Chess Global Advisory Services and the seized hard drives were sealed properly and they were under custody.
Directing the prosecution to go ahead with the framing of charges, the Judge also said if both the accused were not present on the day warrants would be issued against them.
A day after the Special Court dismissed their discharged pleas, Karti said no cash was involved in the sale transaction.
The issue pertained to sale of land owned by Karti and his wife at Muttukadu to a firm in 2015-16, in which the Income-Tax (IT) department and the Enforcement Directorate said cash transactions were involved.
A statement issued on their behalf by their advocate said the IT department’s complaint was based on notice of re-assessment, which had abated on December 31, 2019.
“No order of assessment or demand was passed. The complaint is therefore non-est in law”, he said. He said no cash was received in the sale transaction and the entire proceedings have been accounted for and reflected in the books of account and returns filed.
The prosecution case was that Karti, now a Lok Sabha MP from Sivaganga, had received Rs 6.38 crore in cash and his wife Rs 1.35 crore in cash in that financial year and it came to light when IT officials had conducted inquiries with employees of Agni Estates Foundation, the firm which purchased the land belonging to them near Muttukadu on the ECR.
On December one, 2015, the Enforcement Directorate and IT sleuths searched the premises of Advantage and Chess Global and other places with which Mr Karti was associated, and seized electronic materials containing evidence on the money transaction. The ED and IT department had submitted this to the court in December 2018 along with a printout of documents, which the Court had reviewed recently.
The IT department had filed a complaint on September 12, 2018 against them before the Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Court-II (Economic Offences) for offences under sections 276c(1) and 277 of the I-T Act and the case was later transferred to the special court. (UNI)
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