CBI's Appeal Against Karnataka High Court's Stay Order On D K Shivakumar Dismissed By Supreme Court

The Karnataka High Court's order granting an interim stay on a CBI probe against Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar in a corruption case was upheld by the Supreme Court on Monday (31 July).

The appeal filed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) against the High Court's 10 February order was dismissed by a bench of Justices B R Gavai, C T Ravikumar, and Sanjay Kumar.

Despite an order in favor of the agency, the division bench of the High Court granted an interim stay on the proceedings.

Shivakumar's senior advocate, Abhishek Singhvi, stated that the CBI has filed an appeal against an interim order of the high court but has refused to challenge subsequent interim orders passed by the division bench.

During the proceedings, the Supreme Court bench decided not to intervene in the matter and granted the CBI the freedom to approach the high court and request a speedy resolution of the case.

Additionally, the court has instructed the probe agency to submit a report on the actions taken in relation to the case, which falls under the Prevention of Corruption Act.

The court then questioned the CBI about the progress of their investigation over the past two years.

The court thereafter adjourned the case and suspended the proceedings until the next hearing, demanding clarification on when the final report will be filed.

In 2017, the Income Tax Department conducted a raid on D K Shivakumar.

Following this, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) initiated its own investigation into his activities, based on the information provided by the I-T department.

Based on the investigation conducted by the ED, the CBI requested permission from the state government to file an FIR against the president of the Congress' Karnataka unit.

The sanction was granted on 25 September 2019, and the FIR was officially filed on 3 October 2020. Shivakumar has now challenged the FIR in the High Court.