New Delhi: The Supreme Court today allowed former Finance Minister P Chidambaram’s son Karti Chidambaram to travel abroad after depositing Rs 10 crore with its registry but asked him to cooperate with the probe in the INX Media and Aircel Maxis cases, saying “don’t play around with the law”.
The apex court asked Karti to appear before the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on 5, 6, 7 and 12 March for questioning in connection with the INX Media and Aircel Maxis cases.
“You go wherever you want to go, between February 10 and 26 but you must cooperate with the investigation,” a bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi said.
“Please tell your client that he will have to cooperate. You have not cooperated. We wanted to say a lot of things. We are not saying them right now,” the bench said.
The top court had Monday asked the ED to specify the date on which it wants to interrogate Karti. Besides asking Karti to deposit Rs 10 crore with the secretary general of the Supreme Court, the bench also asked him to file an undertaking that he would return and cooperate with the investigation.
Karti has sought permission to travel abroad from 10 to 26 February and again from 23 to 31 March.
The bench was hearing Karti’s plea seeking permission to travel to France, Spain, Germany and the United Kingdom for the next few months for international tennis tournaments organised by a company called Totus Tennis Ltd, having its registered office in the UK.
The plea, which also said Karti is associated with tennis as a ‘former player, current administrator and entrepreneur’, is being opposed by the ED.
The court had Monday said it will ensure that he appears before the agency and also goes for his tennis assignment, adding that “No tennis for him if he evades.”