Supreme Court Rejects DK Shivakumar’s Plea in Disproportionate Assets Case

The Supreme Court of India has rejected Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar’s plea to dismiss the CBI’s disproportionate assets case against him. The court, led by Justices Bela M Trivedi and Satish Chandra Sharma, found the plea without merit.

Shivakumar’s lawyer, Senior Advocate Mukul Rohatgi, argued that the investigation began without proper sanction under Section 17A of the Prevention of Corruption Act. This section provides immunity to public servants from inquiries without prior approval from the appropriate authority, effective from July 26, 2018.

The court stated that the case cannot be quashed based on a split verdict and will be resolved by a larger bench. The CBI is investigating Shivakumar for allegedly possessing assets disproportionate to his known sources of income. The investigation began after a 2017 raid by the Income Tax Department, followed by an Enforcement Directorate probe. The CBI received permission to file an FIR in 2019, and Shivakumar was charged in 2020 under the Prevention of Corruption Act.