NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court (SC) on Monday ordered Karti Chidambaram to appear before the CBI in a corruption case, thus staying a Madras high court order that allowed him to travel abroad.The Madras high court had allowed Karti - son of former Finance Minister P Chidambaram - to travel abroad and he was scheduled to fly out on August 16. The High Court had on August 10 stayed the 'look out circulars' issued against Karti and four others by the Centre over the CBI case, holding that they were prima facie "unwarranted".Karti had requested an SC stay and was prepared to give an undertaking that he won't go abroad till this coming Friday's hearing on the case. But the SC said it "didn't want to risk" Karti not appearing before the CBI. "Why have you not appeared even once," the top court asked Karti.The top court further said the CBI had the option of seizing Karti's passport and arresting him but it has done neither, therefore it was of utmost importance that he makes an appearance.The case pertains to an FIR filed on May 15 against Karti and INX Media along with eight others for alleged irregularities in the Foreign Investment Promotion Board clearance given to the media house for foreign direct investment (FDI) in 2007. The probe agency had claimed that the FDI proposal of the media house was "fallacious" but former Union finance minister Chidambaram had cleared it.

Source: Times of India August 14, 2017 09:53 UTC