Hyderabad: The Supreme Court will hear a plea of the CBI against Karnataka Congress president DK Shivakumar in a long-drawn corruption case related to disproportionate assets case on Wednesday.
The Karnataka High Court last week dismissed Shivakumar’s plea challenging the state government’s decision seeking a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe to prosecute him in the disproportionate assets case. The Congress leader, who had questioned the legality of the former BJP government’s move, had filed an application seeking the cancellation of the order for a CBI probe.
A quick look at the assets declared by Shivakumar in his affidavit just before the Karnataka polls, which reveals his assets as worth Rs 1,214 crore, shows a significant unstick (44% increase) in his wealth from 2018 when he had declared Rs 840 crore assets. On Thursday, hearing the arguments of both sides, the single-judge bench led by Justice Natarajan dismissed the petition. In 2017, the income tax (IT) department conducted searches on several properties belonging to Shivakumar. The Enforcement Directorate had begun its investigation based on the IT probe.
In 2019, the BS Yeddyurappa government sanctioned an investigation against Shivakumar. In 2020, the CBI also registered an FIR with the permission of the state government. Based on this case, the bench headed by Natarajan dismissed the petition filed by Shivakumar, challenging the permission to prosecute him. Earlier, the CBI had assessed the property after the Karnataka Congress chief had made a statement that he is a farmer and that he got his income from agriculture. Days before the state assembly elections, the high court order is seen as a setback for Shivakumar, who is busy campaigning.
As much as Rs 852 crore of the Rs 1,214 crore are linked to the market value of the Global Malls property in Bengaluru. Out of the assets declared by Shivakumar, Rs 970 crore are in the form of immovable assets. Movable assets are Rs 244 crore. According to the affidavit filed by Shivakumar, his total assets and those of his family members have been pegged at a combined value of ₹1,414 crore. Shivakumar holds 12 bank accounts, some of which are jointly managed by his brother DK Suresh. He also has a loan amounting to ₹225 crores, his affidavit states further. Shivakumar has only one car in his name, a Toyota priced at ₹830,000.
The immovable properties in the name of the Congress leader are worth ₹970 crore, whereas those in the name of his wife Usha are worth ₹113.38 crores. Immovable properties in the name of his son Akash are worth ₹54.33 crore. The total assets in Shivakumar’s name are valued at ₹1,214.93 crore and those in the name of his wife and son are worth ₹133 crore and ₹66 crore, respectively.
Shivakumar declared his annual income at ₹14.24 crore whereas his wife’s annual income is ₹1.9 crore. The Income Tax department had carried out a raid in August 2017 at various premises of Shivakumar in New Delhi and other places and they collected Rs.8,59,69,100. It is alleged that Rs.41.00 lakh was recovered from his premises. Subsequently, a case was registered against Shivakumar before the Special Court for Economic Offences under the provisions of the Income Tax Act, 1961. Based upon registering the income tax case, the Directorate of Enforcement also registered a case and subsequently, Shivakumar was arrested on September 3, 2019.
