NEW DELHI: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has moved the Karnataka High Court after the state government withdrew sanction for a CBI probe against Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar in a disproportionate assets case.
The High Court is already hearing a plea filed by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA Basangouda Patil Yatnal challenging the state government’s withdrawal of consent for the CBI probe.
The Congress-ruled Karnataka government, in November last year, approved a proposal to withdraw the consent for a CBI probe against Shivakumar in the alleged disproportionate assets case.
Talking about the state cabinet’s nod to the proposal, Congress leader and Law Minister H K Patil had said that the previous BJP-led state government’s decision to hand over the case to CBI was “not in accordance with the law”.
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”.
Karnataka BJP chief BY Vijayendra urged Shivakumar to trust the legal process and not support such cabinet decisions and demanded that the Chief Minister revoke this decision.
“The decision taken by the state cabinet pertaining to D K Shivakumar’s disproportionate assets case is totally illegal under the Constitution. I request our deputy CM, D K Shivakumar, that if you have faith in the legal process and legal remedy, then please don’t entertain such decisions taken by the cabinet…I demand the CM take back this decision. Crores of money have been seized in Karnataka and other states. When the ED is investigating the entire issue, then the decision of the cabinet is completely illegal”, Vijayendra had said.
The Congress government, however, has defended its decision, claiming that the case against D K Shivakumar was politically motivated.
“BJP can only threaten. They tried it through social media and agencies. …they have been doing the same thing in the disproportionate case of DK Shivakumar. BJP is just spreading misinformation on this issue. The case against DK Shivakumar was politically motivated and it was filed to control Congress, Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar because they (BJP) were losing the elections”, Minister Priyank Kharge said. (ANI)