In a big relief for Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar, the Karnataka High Court on Monday ordered an interim stay against the state government’s 2019 directive allowing the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to prosecute him in the disproportionate assets case.
A division bench led by Chief Justice Prasanna B Varale passed the order after hearing an appeal filed by Shivakumar. The court further directed issuance of notices to the state government and the probe agency to file their objections and adjourned the hearing. The matter has been adjourned to July 17 for further hearing.
In his petition, Shivakumar had challenged the September 2019 order of consent by the then BS Yediyurappa-led BJP government. Questioning the legality of the state government’s move, Shivakumar had filed an application seeking cancellation of the order for a CBI probe.
In 2019, the BS Yeddyurappa government had sanctioned an investigation against Shivakumar, and in 2020, the CBI had also booked an FIR with the permission of the state government.
Based on this case, on April 20, a single judge, Justice K Natarajan, dismissed the petition filed by Shivakumar, challenging the permission to prosecute him.
The high court order was seen as a setback for Shivakumar, days before the assembly polls.
This order was challenged by Shivakumar before the Division Bench.
Incidentally, according to the affidavit for the 2023 assembly polls, Shivakumar’s total assets and those of his family members stood at a combined value of Rs 1,414 crore.
While in his affidavit for the 2013 assembly elections, the assets held by the Congress leader’s family were valued at Rs 251 crore, and in the 2018 affidavit, the combined value of the property held by his kin stood at Rs 840 crore.
In 2017, the income tax (IT) department had conducted raids on several properties belonging to Shivakumar. The Enforcement Directorate (ED) had begun its probe based on the IT investigation.