Karnataka: SC refuses to interfere with stay on CBI probe against Shivakumar
The High Court’s decision of interim stay on the investigation in the disproportionate assets case against Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar will continue. The stay on the cases against DK Shivakumar will continue, the Supreme Court has refused to interfere with the decision of the Karnataka High Court. The petition to lift the stay on the CBI investigation has been rejected. The Supreme Court said that the High Court should give a decision in the matter after hearing on merit.
A bench of Justice BR Gavai, Justice CT Ravikumar and Justice Sanjay Kumar dismissed the CBI’s appeal against the High Court’s February 10 order in the case. Additional Solicitor General SV Raju said that the division bench of the High Court had granted an interim stay on the investigation despite the order being in favor of the CBI.
Senior advocate Abhishek Singhvi, appearing for Shivakumar, said that the CBI has filed an appeal against the interim order of the High Court, but declined to challenge the subsequent interim orders passed by the High Court’s division bench. On this, the Supreme Court said that it would not interfere and allowed the CBI to request the High Court for speedy disposal of the case.
The Karnataka High Court had on February 10 stayed the CBI proceedings in a corruption case against Shivakumar. The high court had also directed the agency to submit an action taken report in the case registered under the Prevention of Corruption Act. The High Court had said that the cases are of the year 2020. The court had also sought information from the CBI on the progress of the probe in the last two years. The court had asked the agency when it would file the final report. The High Court stayed the proceedings till the next date of hearing and adjourned the matter.
The Income Tax Department had raided Shivakumar’s premises in 2017. Based on the information provided by the department, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) had also started an investigation against him. Based on the ED’s investigation, the CBI had sought permission from the Karnataka government to register an FIR against Shivakumar, the state unit president of the Congress. This approval was received on 25 September 2019 and an FIR was registered on 3 October 2020. Shivakumar has challenged the FIR in the High Court.
