Fresh summonses issued to Shivakumar's wife, mother: ED tells HC

The Enforcement Directorate told the Delhi High Court on Wednesday that it has issued fresh summonses to the wife and the mother of Karnataka Congress leader D K Shivakumar, who is facing prosecution in a money-laundering case. However, the counsel for Shivakumar's wife Usha and mother Gowaramma (85) claimed before the court that they have not received the summonses. Justice Brijesh Sethi listed the matter for further hearing on November 4. Central Government standing counsel Amit Mahajan, representing the ED, told the court that the agency has issued fresh summonses to the two women. The summonses were returnable on October 31. The court was hearing separate pleas by the two women challenging the summonses which were earlier issued to them by the ED in the money laundering case. The agency had told the court that the earlier summonses were not in existence and fresh ones will be issued as the investigation is still going on. The ED had summoned Gowramma and Usha to appear before it on October 15 and 17 respectively.

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Gowaramma's counsel had said that whenever the ED will issue summons to her, it has to comply with the provision of the CrPC that a girl below 15 years of age and a woman of over 65 years cannot be called to a police station. Shivakumar, a seven-time MLA in Karnataka, was arrested by the ED on September 3 under the PMLA. Shivakumar, who was lodged in Tihar jail, was granted bail by the high court on October 23. He had challenged the trial court's order denying him bail. The ED had in September last year registered the money-laundering case against Shivakumar, Haumanthaiah -- an employee at Karnataka Bhavan in New Delhi -- and others. The case was based on a charge sheet (prosecution complaint) filed by the Income Tax Department against them last year before a special court in Bengaluru on charges of alleged tax evasion and 'hawala' transactions worth crores of rupees. The I-T department has accused Shivakumar and his alleged associate SK Sharma of indulging in transactions involving huge amounts of unaccounted money on a regular basis through 'hawala' channels with the help of three other accused. 

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