A Rouse Avenue Court in Delhi will pronounce its order on Karnataka Congress leader DK Shivakumar's bail plea on September 25 at 2.00 pm. A Special Court in Delhi reserved its order on his bail plea after hearing the arguments. Shivakumar, a sitting MLA from Kanakapura assembly seat, was in the Enforcement Directorate's custody since his arrest on September 3 in a money laundering case and was sent to Tihar jail on Thursday. The development came after the court had sent him to judicial custody for 14-days following a medical check-up. 

ED argues Shivakumar influences witnesses

In a special court of Judge Ajay Kumar Kuhar, ED while opposing the bail plea filed by Shivakumar in connection with a money laundering case, alleged that he was in the practice of influencing the witness, looking at the past conducts in I-T probe, some witnesses retracted also. The ED said being an influential and powerful person, Kumar has in the whole likelihood to hamper the investigation. ASG KM Natraj appearing for ED further submitted that many documents and material during both IT and PMLA probe have been recovered which draws a strong inference of commission of an offence. We need to take the investigation to a logical end. The source of laundered money and the proceeds of crime is being investigated, the ED said.

The ED further said the analysis of the transaction and the sources is underway. "The probe is underway and it is at a crucial stage. He was non-cooperative and evasive during the interrogation. Article 20 and 21 grants right to silence but it cannot be done for non-cooperation," the ED said. Advocates Amit Mahajan and Nitesh Rana also appeared for the ED along with ASG KM Natraj. During the submission, they said, "It is a serious economic offence, it is a threat to the national economy, it may imbalance the national economy and is a threat to national security".

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DK Shivakumar sent to Tihar

DK Shivakumar was arrested on September 3 due to his alleged involvement in money laundering cases and had been in ED's custody till September 13. Shivakumar on Wednesday had told a Delhi court that there was no point keeping him in "endless custody" in the money laundering case since he was not accused of "terrorism" or any other heinous offence. Shivakumar's counsels, A M Singhvi and Mukul Rohatgi, told the court that he had already given information about his around Rs 800 crore property in his election affidavit and "if I (politician) gave wrong information, it can lead to prosecution".  Following his arrest, the Vokkaliga community, of which DK Shivakumar is a prominent member, along with Congress cadres have been protesting against the ED and the Centre. 

READ | Congress leader DK Shivakumar sent to judicial custody till Oct 1

Money laundering case against DK Shivakumar 

The central agency had in September 2018, registered a money laundering case against Shivakumar and Haumanthaiah who was an employee at Karnataka Bhavan in New Delhi, among others. The criminal case was filed on the basis of a charge sheet filed by the Income Tax department against Shivakumar and others before a court in Bengaluru for alleged tax evasion and hawala dealings. The ED also quizzed his daughter Aishwarya under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). During the questioning, the ED recorded Aishwarya’s statement and confronted with documents and statements made by Shivakumar with regard to the Singapore trip, as per sources. Earlier, Sachin Narayan, Shivakumar’s business associate and a co-director in Zeus constructions Pvt Ltd till 2014 and Dollars Construction private limited, was also questioned in connection with the case. 

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