Bengaluru: In a setback for Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) President D. K. Shivakumar, the Karnataka High Court on April 20 dismissed his petition challenging the Government’s sanction to the CBI to prosecute him in a disproportionate assets case.
Shivakumar was charged under various sections of the Prevention of Corruption Act.
The Income Tax (IT) Department had conducted searches on several properties belonging to Shivakumar in 2017. Based on the IT probe, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) began its probe.
Based on the ED probe, the CBI had written to the Karnataka Government seeking permission to sanction Shivakumar. The Government had permitted the Central agency to prosecute him in September 2019. The CBI had also filed an FIR in 2020.
Challenging the permission to prosecute him, Shivkumar had approached the High Court. After hearing all parties, the court dismissed his petition.
Shivakumar is contesting the upcoming Karnataka Assembly elections from the Kanakapura Assembly constituency in the Ramanagara District. This verdict is unlikely to have any impact on his poll prospects.