The Supreme Court on Monday rejected a plea by Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar to cancel a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) case against him for alleged disproportionate assets. The bench, comprising Justices Bela M. Trivedi and S.C. Sharma, upheld a previous decision by the Karnataka High Court, affirming the continuation of legal proceedings against the Congress leader.
The case dates back to a CBI FIR lodged in September 2020, which accuses Shivakumar of accumulating assets disproportionate to his known sources of income during his tenure as a minister in the Congress government from 2013 to 2018. Shivakumar had approached the Karnataka High Court to challenge the FIR, but his petition was dismissed in October 2023. The High Court directed the CBI to complete its investigation and submit a report within three months, a directive that led Shivakumar to seek relief from the Supreme Court.
In their verdict, the Supreme Court noted the extensive documentation collected by various agencies, including the Income Tax Department, the Enforcement Directorate (ED), and the CBI, which reinforced the basis for the FIR. The origins of the investigations trace back to a 2007 search and seizure operation by the Income Tax Department at Shivakumarโs offices and residence. Subsequent inquiries by the ED in 2017 and the later CBI investigation stemmed from these findings.
The CBI received the green light to proceed with the FIR against Shivakumar in September 2019 after obtaining the necessary sanction from the state government, leading to formal charges the following year.
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Despite the legal setbacks, Shivakumar has maintained that the allegations against him are politically motivated. “I know who is behind this. I don’t want to tell, but the clock will turn,” he stated, suggesting a potential shift in political dynamics in the future.
