The Supreme Court on Monday refused to stay a Karnataka High Court decision to freeze a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe against Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar in a disproportionate assets case without hearing him.
“We will not do that… That will be like an ex parte order. We have to hear him,” Justice Aniruddha Bose, accompanied by Justice Bela M. Trivedi, told Additional Solicitor General S.V. Raju, who appeared for the CBI.
Mr. Raju had pleaded for an order of interim stay of the High Court decision and allowing the investigation to go on.
“Ninety percent of the investigation is over,” Mr. Raju said.
The court, however, issued notice and posted the case for hearing on November 7.
The Income Tax Department in 2017 conducted a raid against Mr. Shivakumar, based on which the Enforcement Directorate (ED) started its probe. Following the ED investigation, the CBI had sought sanction from the State government to register an FIR against him.
The sanction came on September 25, 2019. On October 3, 2020, Mr. Shivakumar was booked by the CBI under the Prevention of Corruption Act for the alleged possession of disproportionate assets to the tune of ₹74.93 crore.
