NEW DELHI:
The Supreme Court has issued a notice to Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar regarding the Central Bureau of Investigation’s (CBI) plea in a disproportionate assets case.
This comes after the Karnataka High Court had previously stayed proceedings against the Congress leader.
Justices Aniruddha Bose and Bela M Trivedi have scheduled the matter for further hearing on November 7.
The CBI has appealed against the Karnataka High Court’s order from June 12, which had halted the investigation into the disproportionate assets case.
Additional Solicitor General SV Raju, representing the CBI, has requested the bench to lift the stay. The CBI is currently investigating Shivakumar for allegedly possessing assets that exceed his known sources of income. Previously, the Income Tax department had conducted a search against him.
In the year 2017, DK Shivakumar found himself at the center of a storm when the Income Tax Department swooped in for a raid. This event set off a chain reaction, leading to a thorough investigation by the Enforcement Directorate. As the probe unfolded, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) stepped in, seeking permission from the state government to initiate legal action against Shivakumar. The CBI’s request was finally granted on September 25, 2019, paving the way for a formal charge to be filed against him on October 3, 2020, under the Prevention of Corruption Act.
