The Delhi High Court has scheduled a hearing for August 12 on Congress MP Karti Chidambaram’s petition seeking quashing of a CBI FIR registered against him in connection with alleged irregularities in granting relief to Diageo Scotland in the duty-free liquor sale embargo case.
Justice Ravinder Dudeja, who was expected to hear the matter on Monday, deferred the proceedings after the public prosecutor sought an adjournment, citing that related matters were already listed for August 12.
Karti Chidambaram, son of former Union Finance Minister P. Chidambaram, has challenged the Central Bureau of Investigation’s (CBI) FIR registered on January 1 this year, alleging that it was filed with “gross delay” and motivated by “political vendetta and regime revenge.”
This is the fourth CBI case registered against the Congress MP. The current FIR stems from a 2018 preliminary inquiry into alleged irregularities involving Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) clearances during the tenure of his father as Finance Minister.
The FIR names Karti Chidambaram, Katra Holdings, Advantage Strategic Consulting Pvt. Ltd (ASCPL), and others, alleging that a suspicious payment was made by Diageo Scotland and Sequoia Capitals to ASCPL—an entity said to be controlled by Karti and his aide S. Bhaskararaman.
The case traces back to a 2005 embargo imposed by the India Tourism Development Corporation (ITDC), which had a monopoly on duty-free liquor sales, banning Diageo Group’s products. The embargo allegedly caused significant financial loss to Diageo Scotland, whose flagship brand Johnnie Walker accounted for nearly 70% of its duty-free business in India.
Karti’s petition argues that the FIR was filed against unidentified public servants without obtaining mandatory sanction from competent authorities, rendering it illegal. He further contends that no prima facie offences are made out against him.
In January, a trial court had directed the CBI to give Karti a minimum three-day advance notice before initiating any coercive steps in the case.
