‘CBI claims 90% probe complete, but no official has approached me’: Shivakumar

Bengaluru: Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar on Friday stated that though the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) claims that 90 per cent of the investigation against him with regard to disproportionate assets case is complete, no investigation officer has approached him till date.

Speaking to reporters on the High Court rejecting his plea to quash the disproportionate assets case, Shivakumar stated that no investigation officer had approached him for any information. “I will discuss the matter with my advocates,” he said.

The then chief minister B.S. Yediyurappa had handed over the case to the CBI only for political reasons. Though, there were other cases, only his case was handed over to the CBI, the Congress leader said.

“The advocate general had clearly said that this case can’t be handed over to the CBI for a probe. This was not even taken to the Speaker of the House and Yediyurappa handed over the case to the CBI,” Shivakumar maintained.

When asked about attacks on him by the Opposition leaders, Shivakumar stated, he can’t keep giving answering any and everybody. The court and proceedings have to be respected. Even the media should not pay heed to them, he stated.

Notably, in a setback to Shivakumar, who is also the state chief of Congress, the high court on Thursday rejected his petition seeking quashing of the CBI proceedings against him.

The court also lifted the stay order issued on the CBI probe against him.

The Karnataka High Court bench headed by Justice K. Natarajan directed the CBI to complete the probe in three months.

The development is considered to be a serious setback to Shivakumar who has been aggressively taking on the opposition parties BJP and JD(S) in the state.

Former chief minister H.D. Kumaraswamy and BJP State President Nalin Kumar Kateel had stated that Shivakumar would land up in Tihar Jail once again.

Shivakumar had replied that Kumarswamy and Kateel are not judges to send him to the prison. The Congress party had maintained that Shivakumar’s family had been tortured every day.

–IANS