The Delhi High Court on 15 October 2025 relaxed the bail condition for Congress MP Karti Chidambaram in the INX Media corruption case, allowing him to travel abroad with prior intimation to the Court and the CBI. The MP is required to give at least two weeks’ notice before his travel and share his complete travel itinerary.
Justice Ravinder Dudeja also directed Chidambaram to attend all court proceedings regularly and not attempt to protract the trial. “The application is allowed and disposed of in aforesaid terms,” the Court said. A detailed order is awaited.
“The petitioner shall not leave India without prior permission of the Trial Court; he shall deposit his passport with the Trial Court, if not deposited so far,” the direction read.
Senior Advocate Siddharth Luthra appeared for Karti Chidambaram, along with Advocates Arshdeep Singh and Akshat Gupta. The CBI was represented by SPP Anupam S Sharma.
Karti Chidambaram had been granted bail by a coordinate bench in March 2018, with the condition that he seek the trial court’s permission before traveling abroad. The CBI had opposed the application, citing the precedent of fugitive businessman Vijay Mallya, but the Court noted that Chidambaram, being an MP, was not a flight risk. The Court had previously held that there was no possibility of him fleeing justice, given his family background and societal roots.
The FIR, registered on 15 May 2017, named INX Media Pvt. Ltd., Karti Chidambaram, and others under Sections 120B and 420 of the IPC, along with Sections 8, 12(2), and 13(1)(d) of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988. Since the offences fall under the Schedule of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), a case was also registered by the Directorate of Enforcement on 18 May 2017.
The investigation alleged that Indrani Mukherjea and Pratim Mukherjea, Director and COO of INX Media, conspired with Karti Chidambaram to obtain excess FDI and downstream investments without Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) approval. Officials of the FIPB Unit, Department of Economic Affairs, were allegedly influenced by Karti Chidambaram, resulting in undue favours to INX Media.
The probe also revealed that Karti Chidambaram received proceeds from these transactions through shell companies linked to him. A fake invoice dated 26 June 2008 for Rs. 11,23,600 was raised in the name of ASCPL, a company beneficially owned by him, for consultancy services to INX Media. Investigators also found four more fake invoices totaling approximately US $700,000 (Rs. 3.2 crore) raised in September 2008.
(Source: LiveLaw)
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