NEW DELHI: Karnataka high court on Wednesday rejected CBI plea to allow probe against Karnataka deputy chief minister DK Shivakumar in illegal assets case.
The Karnataka high court has rejected petitions submitted by the CBI and BJP MLA Basangouda Patil Yatnal. The petitions were filed to challenge the decision made by the Karnataka government to revoke its consent for a CBI investigation into allegations of corruption against Shivakumar, a prominent Congress leader.
Justices K Somashekhar and Umesh Adiga, who presided over the bench, said that the matter at hand constitutes a dispute between the Central and state governments, as it involves a central agency.Consequently, they concluded that the appropriate forum for hearing this case would be the Supreme Court.
Shivakumar had earlier said that he would accept the Supreme Court’s decision in the disproportionate assets case as God’s decision.
“I believe in the Courts, and I believe in God. I will accept the Court’s decision as God’s decision,” he said when asked about the disproportionate assets case.
The CBI has alleged that Shivakumar had accumulated assets disproportionate to his known income sources between 2013 and 2018. The CBI filed an FIR on September 3, 2020, which Shivakumar challenged in the high court in 2021.
In his challenge, Shivakumar claimed that multiple agencies, including the income tax department, Enforcement Directorate (ED), and CBI, were investigating the same set of facts with “mala fide intentions.” He argued that the multiple investigations were unjustified and targeted against him.
The CBI had received authorization from the previous BJP administration to initiate legal proceedings against Shivakumar. Consequently, an FIR was registered, and an investigation was conducted regarding allegations of possessing assets disproportionate to his known sources of income.
On November 23, the present Karnataka cabinet, under the leadership of chief minister Siddaramaiah, concluded that the preceding BJP government’s decision to allow the CBI to probe the DA case against Shivakumar was “not in accordance with law.” As a result, the cabinet resolved to revoke the sanction previously granted.
During earlier court proceedings, the CBI’s special public prosecutor, P Prasanna Kumar, presented the agency’s findings which stated “during the check period, between April 1, 2013, and April 30, 2018, Shivakumar and his family members were found in possession of around Rs 74.8 crore in disproportionate assets.” The CBI maintains that the assets acquired by Shivakumar during his tenure as a minister were not in line with his declared income sources.
The Karnataka high court has rejected petitions submitted by the CBI and BJP MLA Basangouda Patil Yatnal. The petitions were filed to challenge the decision made by the Karnataka government to revoke its consent for a CBI investigation into allegations of corruption against Shivakumar, a prominent Congress leader.
Justices K Somashekhar and Umesh Adiga, who presided over the bench, said that the matter at hand constitutes a dispute between the Central and state governments, as it involves a central agency.Consequently, they concluded that the appropriate forum for hearing this case would be the Supreme Court.
Shivakumar had earlier said that he would accept the Supreme Court’s decision in the disproportionate assets case as God’s decision.
“I believe in the Courts, and I believe in God. I will accept the Court’s decision as God’s decision,” he said when asked about the disproportionate assets case.
The CBI has alleged that Shivakumar had accumulated assets disproportionate to his known income sources between 2013 and 2018. The CBI filed an FIR on September 3, 2020, which Shivakumar challenged in the high court in 2021.
In his challenge, Shivakumar claimed that multiple agencies, including the income tax department, Enforcement Directorate (ED), and CBI, were investigating the same set of facts with “mala fide intentions.” He argued that the multiple investigations were unjustified and targeted against him.
The CBI had received authorization from the previous BJP administration to initiate legal proceedings against Shivakumar. Consequently, an FIR was registered, and an investigation was conducted regarding allegations of possessing assets disproportionate to his known sources of income.
On November 23, the present Karnataka cabinet, under the leadership of chief minister Siddaramaiah, concluded that the preceding BJP government’s decision to allow the CBI to probe the DA case against Shivakumar was “not in accordance with law.” As a result, the cabinet resolved to revoke the sanction previously granted.
During earlier court proceedings, the CBI’s special public prosecutor, P Prasanna Kumar, presented the agency’s findings which stated “during the check period, between April 1, 2013, and April 30, 2018, Shivakumar and his family members were found in possession of around Rs 74.8 crore in disproportionate assets.” The CBI maintains that the assets acquired by Shivakumar during his tenure as a minister were not in line with his declared income sources.
Source Agencies
