Chinese Visa Scam: Third Delhi High Court judge recuses from hearing Karti Chidambaram's plea

Justice Girish Kathpalia of the Delhi High Court today recused himself from hearing Congress MP Karti Chidambaram's petition in the alleged Chinese visa scam case.

Earlier Justices Swarana Kanta Sharma and Anup J Bhambani had also recused themselves from hearing the case. The matter will now be heard on January 28, 2026.

Chidambaram has approached the high Court against the framing of charges against him by the Rouse Avenue Court in connection with the alleged Chinese visa scam. He has argued that the trial court did not apply its judicial mind to the material and documents on record, completely ignoring evidence and statements of witnesses that demonstrate the absence of criminality.

Special Judge (CBI) Dig Vinay Singh of Rouse Avenue Court directed that charges be framed against seven accused for the offence of criminal conspiracy, while discharging one accused, Chetan Shrivastava, from the case.

On December 23, 2025 the order was passed in a case arising out of allegations that bribes were paid to facilitate the grant of visas to Chinese nationals employed by a power company in 2011. The alleged acts took place during the tenure of Karti Chidambaram’s father, P. Chidambaram, as the Union Home Minister. The Central Bureau of Investigation had filed its chargesheet in October 2024, naming Karti Chidambaram and others for their alleged role in irregularly securing visas for Chinese nationals in exchange for illegal gratification.

Notably, in 2022, the Court had had previously rejected Chidambaram's anticipatory bail application, along with the others accused in the case. The Special Judge while dismissing the bail application had observed: "The nature and gravity of the alleged offences, the nascent stage of investigation and also the previous criminal antecedents of the accused Karti P Chidambaram and S Bhaskararaman do not make it out a case for grant of anticipatory bail to the applicants or for any further interim protection to them for joining of the investigation of this case as it will seriously hamper the process and progress of investigation.”

The charges against Karti are for facilitating visas of 250 Chinese nationals after accepting bribes of over Rs.50 lakhs. ED has also filed a money laundering case against him. CBI had also alleged that Talwandi Sabo Power Limited (TSPL), a Vedanta Group company, had paid an amount of Rs.50 lakh for resistance of Project Visa for 263 Chinese workers. TSPL, at the time, was setting up a power plant in Punjab.

Project Visas are a special type of visas introduced in 2010 for the power and steel sector. Detailed guidelines for the same were issued during P Chidambaram's tenure as Union Home Minister. However, there was no provision for re-issuance of the said visas.

Case Title: Karti Chidambaram vs. CBI