From Our Bureau
NEW DELHI: After the Congress party swept Karnataka with 135 seats in the recently held assembly polls, Karnataka Congress President D K Shivakumar and Siddaramaiah became the front runners for the CM’s chair. No decision has been taken yet on the next CM face by the Congress’ top brass. However, Shivakumar’s pending cases filed by CBI and the Income Tax department are denting his chances to become the CM.
Apart from the CBI’s disproportionate asset case, the latter also has a tax evasion case filed by the Income Tax Department. Latter’s premises were raided by the IT department in 2017. According to the agency, a whopping Rs 8.5 crore was seized from Shivakumar’s associated flats in New Delhi. In all, the CM aspirant has a total of 19 pending cases against him.
Meanwhile, a Constitutional bench of the Supreme Court will hear the plea by the CBI to remove the stay on the probe against Shivakumar in the disproportionate asset case. The investigating agency in the plea has mentioned that longer stays on probe can’t be given, considering the seriousness of the case.
It comes after the Karnataka High Court extended the interim stay on a CBI probe against Karnataka Congress chief DK Shivakumar in March 2023. The latter has filed a petition in the Karnataka HC challenging the state government’s decision to grant permission to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to investigate the asset case. The court has rejected his plea challenging the CBI probe against him under the Prevention of Corruption Act.
What is disproportionate asset case?
A First Information Report (FIR) was lodged against Shivakumar alleging an increment in his properties and wealth from 2013 to 2018 when Karnataka was ruled by the Congress party with Siddaramaiah as a Chief Minister. According to sources, the FIR was lodged on October 3, 2020.
The FIR alleged that DK Shivakumar and his family members had movable and immovable assets worth Rs 33.92 crore in April 2013 which significantly increased to Rs 162.53 crore in 2018. Shivakumar’s asset has climbed to the tune of over five times in the span of five years, the FIR mentioned.
