Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister, DK Shivakumar, faces a significant setback in the case of possessing disproportionate assets. The Karnataka High Court has rejected his plea to quash the CBI’s FIR in a corruption case, directing the investigative agency to conclude the inquiry within three months. An interim stay on the CBI’s investigation, which had previously impeded progress, has now been lifted.
High Court Rejects Shivakumar’s Plea
The High Court had previously stayed CBI proceedings on February 10 and sought an action taken report in the case registered under the Prevention of Corruption Act. The court emphasized that the cases date back to 2020 and had requested information on the progress of the investigation over the past two years.
CBI Investigation Resumes
The High Court had also inquired about the expected date of the final report. However, on October 16, the Supreme Court had declined to lift the interim stay on the CBI’s investigation in the case of disproportionate assets, which had created a deadlock in the central agency’s further inquiry. Additional Solicitor General SV Raju had noted that 90 percent of the CBI’s investigation had been completed, but the interim stay had halted further proceedings.
Supreme Court’s Decision
The Supreme Court has summoned DK Shivakumar to submit a reply by November 7. The Income Tax Department had conducted raids on Shivakumar’s premises in 2017, prompting the Enforcement Directorate (ED) to launch an investigation. Based on the ED’s inquiry, the CBI sought permission from the Karnataka government to register an FIR against Congress state unit president Shivakumar.
This approval was granted on September 25, 2019, and the FIR was filed on October 3, 2020. The High Court has declined to quash the CBI’s corruption case against him, alleging possession of assets worth Rs 74.93 crore.
