SC refuses Shivakumar's plea on quashing CBI's disproportionate assets case

The Supreme Court on Monday rejected Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar's plea seeking to quash the Central Bureau of Investigation's (CBI) disproportionate assets case against him under the provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act.

The Supreme Court was hearing a petition filed by Deputy Chief Minister against the order of the Karnataka High Court, which had earlier rejected his plea.

The CBI moved the Karnataka High Court after the state government dropped the CBI case against Shivakumar. The High Court was hearing the plea filed by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA Basangouda Patil Yatnal challenging the state government's withdrawal of consent for the CBI probe.

The Supreme Court had earlier refused to interfere with the Karnataka High Court interim order staying proceedings against Congress leader Shivakumar in a disproportionate assets case.

The Congress-ruled Karnataka government, in November, approved a proposal to withdraw the CBI probe against Shivakumar in the alleged disproportionate assets case.

This decision triggered a massive political fight in the state between the BJP and the Congress with the former criticising the state cabinet's decision as "totally illegal".

The CBI was probing a case lodged against the deputy CM for allegedly holding assets disproportionate to his known sources of income. Earlier, Income Tax sleuths had conducted a search against him.

In 2017, the Income Tax Department raided DK Shivakumar, leading to an investigation by the Enforcement Directorate. The CBI later sought permission from the state government to file an FIR against him based on the findings of the ED probe.

On September 25, 2019, the sanction was granted, and on October 3, 2020, Shivakumar was charged by the CBI under the Prevention of Corruption Act.