Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma of the Delhi High Court on Tuesday recused herself from hearing a petition filed by Congress MP Karti Chidambaram. The plea seeks to quash a First Information Report (FIR) registered by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) regarding allegations that he facilitated relief for an alcoholic beverage company following a ban on its duty-free whisky sales.
During the proceedings on Tuesday, Justice Sharma directed that the matter be listed before another bench. “List before another bench,” the judge stated, without providing a specific reason for the recusal. Following this development, the case is now scheduled to be listed for hearing on July 21.
Karti Chidambaram’s petition, filed through advocate Akshat Gupta, challenges the legality of the FIR registered on January 1, 2025. The MP has characterized the case as “illegal” and “malafide,” asserting it is born out of “political vendetta and regime revenge.”
A central argument in the plea is the “gross delay” in the registration of the case. The FIR pertains to alleged activities between 2004 and 2010. The petition notes:
“There is gross delay in registration of the impugned FIR in as much as the allegations pertain to the period of 2004-2010 (as per the FIR) whereas the subject FIR has been registered in 2025, i.e., after 20 years.”
Furthermore, the plea contends that the FIR was filed against “unidentified public servants” without obtaining prior approval from the competent authority, rendering the investigation unlawful. The MP maintains that none of the alleged offences are prima facie established.
The CBI’s case centers on allegations that Karti Chidambaram assisted Diageo Scotland in 2005. At that time, the India Tourism Development Corporation (ITDC)—which held a monopoly on imported duty-free liquor sales—had imposed an embargo on Diageo products. This ban reportedly resulted in significant losses for the company, as 70% of its Indian business involved Johnnie Walker whisky.
The FIR alleges that suspicious payments were made to Advantage Strategic Consulting Pvt. Ltd (ASCPL), an entity the CBI claims is “controlled” by Karti and his close associate S. Bhaskararaman, by Diageo Scotland and Sequoia Capitals.
This case is the fourth against the Congress MP and originated from a preliminary inquiry initiated in 2018. That inquiry was looking into irregularities concerning Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) clearances during the tenure of his father, P. Chidambaram, as Union Finance Minister.
