A Delhi High Court judge withdrew from presiding over a plea by Congress MP Karti P. Chidambaram challenging charges framed against him in the Chinese visa scam case. This marks the third recusal in the case. Justice Girish Kathpalia, the assigned judge, cited personal reasons for recusing himself.
Earlier, Justices Swarana Kanta Sharma and Anup Jairam Bhambhani had also recused themselves from hearing Chidambaram’s plea. During the hearing, senior advocate Siddharth Luthra, representing Chidambaram, argued that charges were framed against the Congress leader for an offense not even alleged against him. However, Justice Kathpalia expressed his inability to proceed with the case.
Chidambaram contested a December 23, 2025, order by a special CBI court that framed charges against him for criminal conspiracy and bribing a public servant in connection with alleged visa irregularities involving Chinese nationals in 2011. The case pertains to the misuse of visas for Chinese workers during the construction of a power plant in Punjab, with allegations of illegal gratification and violations of Ministry of Home Affairs norms.
