Karti Chidambaram writes to Lok Sabha Speaker over CBI raids: ‘Brazen breach of Parliamentary privilege’

Karti Chidambaram stated, "Certain officers of the CBI seized my highly confidential and sensitive personal notes and papers pertaining to the Parliamentary Standing Committee for Information and Technology, of which I am a Member."

Congress MP Karti Chidambaram, accused of facilitating visas for Chinese nationals by flouting rules, gestures as he leaves the CBI headquarters, in New Delhi, Thursday, May 26, 2022. (PTI)

Lok Sabha MP Karti Chidambaram Friday wrote to the Speaker of the House, Om Birla, over the breach of his Parliamentary privilege in the course of the recent searches conducted by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) at his residences.

“Certain officers of the CBI seized my highly confidential and sensitive personal notes and papers pertaining to the Parliamentary Standing Committee for Information and Technology, of which I am a Member,” said the Congress leader and son of former finance minister P Chidambaram. He added that these included draft notes and questions for summoned witnesses as well as handwritten notes pertaining to the depositions made to the committee by the witnesses.

“Sir, these actions by the CBI, in so far as they relate to interference with my duties as a Parliamentarian, amount to a direct assault upon the democratic principles on which our Parliament is founded,” the MP stated in his letter.

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The CBI had conducted nationwide searches at various premises linked to Karti and his father on May 17 in connection with a corruption case. The agency also filed a first information report (FIR) based on allegations that Karti allegedly accepted a bribe of Rs 50 lakh that was sent to an account of one of his companies to facilitate visas for 300 Chinese nationals working with a Chinese company. On Wednesday, the Enforcement Directorate also booked him in a case of money laundering.

I have written to the Honourable @loksabhaspeaker @ombirlakota bringing to his attention the gross breach of Parliamentary Privilege by the #CBI @LokSabhaSectt @ShashiTharoor @MahuaMoitra @jawharsircar @JohnBrittas @ANI @the_hindu @PTI_News @IndiaToday @IndianExpress @INCIndia pic.twitter.com/OiithnaAqk

— Karti P Chidambaram (@KartiPC) May 27, 2022

Karti in his letter to Birla said, “Over the course of the past few years, my family and I have become targets of a relentless campaign by the present government and its investigating agencies who are trying to silence our voices of dissent by foisting one fake case after another.”

“Such targeted intimidation of a member of the House amounts to a breach of privilege,” he added.

Calling himself a “victim of grossly illegal and patently unconstitutional action”, Karti urged the Lok Sabha Speaker to take immediate cognizance of the issue.

Karti appeared for questioning before the CBI on Thursday. He has denied all allegations and called the case “bogus”.

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