Karnataka Lokayukta Police registers FIR against Deputy CM, Shivakumar says 'legal fight will continue'
Feb 13, 2024
Bengaluru (Karnataka) [India], February 13 : The Karnataka Lokayukta police have filed an FIR against Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar in a disproportionate assets case.
Responding to it, Shivakumar said he will continue to fight the case "legally."
The Deputy Chief Minister said that it was wrong for the Yediyurappa government to hand over the case to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).
"I have done nothing wrong. The then Advocate General told me that my case could not be given to CBI. I got the record of it through Right to Information. It was wrong for the Yediyurappa government to give it to the CBI. So our government withdrew the permission and gave it to the Lokayukta," Shivakumar said.
Shivakumar said that even after withdrawing permission from the CBI, the investigating agency is issuing hundreds of notices to his organizations and those who have engaged in business with him.
"Even after the government withdrew permission to investigate me, the CBI is issuing hundreds of notices to my organizations and those who have done business with me. I don't know why they are giving notice. I'll fight everything legally DCM said," he said.
The case, involving alleged accumulation of assets worth Rs 74.93 crore, was transferred to the Lokayukta after the Siddaramaiah government withdrew the earlier consent given by the BJP government to the CBI for investigation.
Amidst the ongoing high court proceedings, where the CBI challenges the state government's decision, objections from Shivakumar's counsel were raised, and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) lawmaker Basanagouda Patil Yatnal contested the government's move. Despite these objections, the Lokayukta proceeded to register the FIR on Tuesday.
Shivakumar, who also serves as the state Congress chief, maintains his innocence, stating that the CBI's involvement was wrongly initiated by the previous government. He expressed frustration over continued CBI notices despite the withdrawal of consent.
Legal battles intensify as senior counsel Abhishek Manu Singhvi, representing Shivakumar, argues against Yatnal's petition in the Karnataka High Court.
Yatnal's petition suggests that revoking CBI consent in 2019 was an attempt to disrupt judicial proceedings, while the Congress government contends that the case was hastily transferred to the CBI by the BJP government.
The central issue revolves around the withdrawal of consent on procedural grounds, and the court is set to address the matter further in subsequent hearings. The CBI's authority for investigation depends on state government consent, as outlined in the Delhi Special Police Establishment Act 1946.
The political and legal landscape remains tense, with both sides presenting their arguments as the case unfolds in the Karnataka High Court.
