Shivakumar’s graft case probe stayed till March 3

NT Correspondent

Bengaluru: Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president DK Shivakumar breathed easy as the Karnataka High Court (HC) extended a stay order on an investigation pertaining to the leader’s Disproportionate Assets (DA) case to March 3.

Justice K Natarajan ordered the CBI team to submit a status report on the probe during the next hearing. The CBI counsel informed the bench that an interlocutory application had been filed demanding vacating the interim order that had granted a stay on February 10.

Upon this, they had been asked to file the application before the registry on the day. Shivakumar’s counsel claimed that the CBI had no sanction obtained under Section 17(A) of the Prevention of Corruption Act to conduct the investigation, adding that an earlier HC order should prevent them from taking “coercive measures” in the case.

The State government had consented to the probe, following which the CBI had registered an FIR on October 3, 2020. The investigation agency claimed that between April 1, 2013 and April 30, 2018, Shivakumar and his family members had owned Rs 74.93 crore in disproportionate assets.