The Supreme Court on Monday refused to lift stay on the CBI's probe into a case alleged possession of disproportionate assets by Karnataka's Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar, saying the "man is not running away anywhere".
A bench of Justices Aniruddha Bose and Bela M Trivedi issued notice to Karnataka Congress chief Shivakumar and put the matter for consideration on November 7, 2023.
Additional Solicitor General S V Raju, appearing for the CBI submitted that the 90 per cent investigation has been completed in the matter. He claimed the stay was granted on a "false" statement made in an affidavit.
He sought a direction to lift the stay.
The court, however, said, "We are not staying it ex parte. The man is not running away anywhere."
"We will examine the matter and issue notice," the bench said.
In February this year, a single-judge bench of the HC led by Justice K Natarajan granted Shivakumar temporary relief in connection with a Rs 74 crore disproportionate assets case of 2020, being investigated by the CBI. In April, the single judge dismissed his plea. A division bench led by Chief Justice Prasanna B Varle, however, had in June, 2023 stayed the single judge bench order.
The central agency claimed has Shivakumar amassed Rs 74.93 crore of wealth, disproportionate to known sources of income, from April 2013 to April 2018, when he was the energy minister in the Congress-led Karnataka government.The CBI filed the FIR against him in October 2020 on charges of corruption, based on the findings of the income-tax department’s searches carried out in August 2017 at around 70 premises linked to him.
Published 16 October 2023, 09:01 IST
