Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has been conducting simultaneous raids at the house of Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) chairman D.K. Shivakumar and other premises linked to him on Monday morning. Raids are also on at the residence of Congress Bengaluru Rural MP and Mr. Shivakumar's brother D.K. Suresh.
In a statement released later in the day, the central agency said, "CBI has registered a case against then Minister of Karnataka Government and others on the allegations of acquisition of Disproportionate Assets. Searches are being conducted today at 14 locations including 9 in Karnataka, 4 in Delhi, one in Mumbai."
Police and media outside D K Shivakumar's residence at Sadashivnagar in Bengaluru
Mr. Shivakumar was at his Sadashivanagar residence when CBI officials knocked on his door Monday morning. Presently both Mr. Shivakumar and his brother Mr. Suresh are holed up in the house. Mr. Shivakumar's advocates who reached the residence were not allowed in to meet him.
Vindictive politics, says Congress
The raids come even as Mr. Shivakumar is leading the campaign for bypolls for two assembly seats — RR Nagar and Sira — scheduled for November 3. Leader of opposition Siddaramaiah tweeted: “BJP has always tried to indulge in vindictive politics And mislead public attention. The latest CBI raid on KPCC president D. K. Shivakumar's house in another attempt to derail Our preparation for the bypolls.”
Congress national spokesperson Randeep Surjewala also tweeted that "the party workers and leaders will not be cowed down nor bow down before such devious attempts."
However, CBI sources claimed this was only a natural course of events as Karnataka High Court had only recently upheld state government's consent to probe Mr. Shivakumar under Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988, that one of the accused in the case had challenged.
BJP leader and medical education minister Dr. K. Sudhakar has reacted to Congress allegations that the CBI raids are politically motivated and said CBI, ED and IT Departments are autonomous organisations and carrying out probes as per law. "Everytime there is a raid Congress cries foul saying it is politically motivated. It is wrong to mislead people. Nobody is above law and everyone is has bow their heads before the law," he tweeted.
CBI case comes after I-T department and ED probes
Search and seizure operations by Income Tax Department in August 2017 had recovered ₹8.59 crore unaccounted cash from a flat in Safdarjung Enclave, New Delhi.
Enforcement Directorate (ED) had registered a case for alleged money laundering and arrested Mr. Shivakumar on September 3, 2019 . He was released on bail on October 24, 2019 after spending over fifty days in Tihar Jail.
The ED had written to CBI and the State government recommending for a CBI probe under the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 to probe if the unaccounted cash seized was proceeds of corruption.
The ED and I-T Department had also flagged other suspected transactions and benami properties that may have been a result of corruption. Based on the recommendation from ED and a request from CBI, the State government had given consent for CBI probe on September 25, 2019.
Shashi Kumar Shivanna, an employee of Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd, a close relative of Mr. Shivakumar, facing charges of engaging in property transactions on behalf of Mr. Shivakumar who has been facing charges of benami properties, had challenged the state government giving sanction for CBI probe. Karnataka High Court dismissed the petition on July 25, 2020.
