Supreme Court Examines Plea to Reopen Corruption Probe Against DK Shivakumar

The Supreme Court has issued notice to the Karnataka government and Deputy CM DK Shivakumar concerning the CBI's plea to reinstate a corruption probe against him. The CBI challenges a Karnataka High Court decision that dismissed their earlier appeal to investigate disproportionate assets found during Shivakumar's tenure from 2013 to 2018.

The Supreme Court has intervened in a high-profile case involving the Central Bureau of Investigation's (CBI) request to resume an investigation into Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar. The court has sought responses from the Karnataka government and Shivakumar after the CBI aimed to challenge the state's decision to revoke a previous probe into alleged corruption.

This development follows the current Congress-led Karnataka cabinet's reversal of a decision by the former BJP government to allow the CBI to investigate Shivakumar. This investigation stemmed from allegations of disproportionate assets accumulated between 2013 and 2018. The Karnataka High Court had previously deemed a petition to restore this investigative consent as non-maintainable, prompting the CBI to take the matter to the Supreme Court.

The CBI's case against Shivakumar began following an income tax investigation linked to the Enforcement Directorate, leading to corruption charges. Registered on October 3, 2020, the charges were based on consent given by the BJP on September 25, 2019. As the legal battle intensifies, all eyes are on the apex court's forthcoming decision regarding this contentious issue.

(With inputs from agencies.)