Bengaluru: The Karnataka High Court on Thursday dismissed a plea by Deputy Chief Minister and Congress leader DK Shivakumar seeking to quash the Disproportionate Assets Case filed by the Central Bureau of Investigation against him, sources said. The High Court also ordered to vacate the stay order issued earlier to probe the case.
A bench headed by Justice K Natarajan announced the verdict today after conducting a lengthy hearing on the petition filed by DK Sivakumar seeking quashing of the case registered against him. Justice Natarajan while dismissing the plea observed that the plea seeking to quash the case had been filed after inordinate delay saying that the CBI was about to conclude the investigation.
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In addition, the bench opined that the allegations against DK Shivakumar should be investigated and the truth should come out. "During the investigation, the court cannot appreciate the evidences and documents or material without conclusion of investigation or prior to submitting of the final report which amounts to conducting a mini trial for quashing the FIR," the judge said.
The CBI had filed the FIR against D K Shivakumar in 2020 in the alleged disproportionate assets case.
Case background: On October 3, 2020, the CBI registered a case against DK Shivakumar under various sections of the Prevention of Corruption Act-1988. In July 2022, DK Shivakumar filed a petition in the High Court demanding that the FIR registered by the CBI is illegal and the investigation should be quashed. On February 10, 2023, the High Court issued a stay on the CBI investigation, an injunction which was valid till date.
It may be recalled that a bench headed by Justice K Natarajan had earlier dismissed the petition filed by DK Shivakumar to quash the state government's order handing over the case to the CBI for investigation just a few months ago.
