In a significant development, the Karnataka government, led by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, has granted approval to withdraw the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe against Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar in an alleged disproportionate assets case. The decision was reached during a cabinet meeting convened at Vidhansoudha on Thursday, marking a turning point in the ongoing legal saga surrounding the senior Congress leader.
Karnataka Law Minister HK Patil, addressing the media after the cabinet meeting, revealed that the decision to hand over the case to the CBI by the previous BJP-led state government was deemed “not in accordance with the law.” Patil underscored the careful consideration given to the opinions presented by the advocate generals of both the previous government and the present one before arriving at this pivotal decision.
“The cabinet has come to a decision that the decision taken by the previous government was not in accordance with the law… We have known that the decision taken by the last government was not in accordance with the law,” Patil emphasized, as quoted by ANI.
The case revolves around allegations of disproportionate assets, with as many as 577 cases of property beyond reported income. However, it’s noteworthy that, up to this point, the CBI had not initiated investigations into any of these cases, with the local police handling the inquiries. This latest decision by the state government has brought considerable relief to Deputy Chief Minister Shivakumar.
Comparisons were drawn to a similar case involving Congress MLA Zameer Ahmad Khan, who faced similar charges. Interestingly, the previous BJP government had chosen to transfer Khan’s case to the Lokayukta, a fact highlighted by Shivakumar’s office.
The CBI had filed an FIR against DK Shivakumar back in 2018, with then Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa agreeing to hand over the case to the central investigative agency in 2019. The central agency’s investigation primarily centers on allegations that Shivakumar possessed assets disproportionate to his known sources of income. Prior to the CBI probe, the Income Tax department had conducted a search against him.
The High Court of Karnataka has also been involved in this legal battle, adjourning the hearing of the appeal filed by Shivakumar against the sanction accorded by the previous government to the CBI to prosecute him in the disproportionate assets case to November 29, 2023.
