DK Shivakumar Sent To Judicial Custody, But To Be Taken To Hospital First

DK Shivakumar Sent To Judicial Custody, But To Be Taken To Hospital First

NEW DELHI: Karnataka Congress leader DK Shivakumar, who was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate in a money laundering case earlier this month, has been sent to judicial custody till October 1 by a court in Delhi today.
The court, however, asked the probe agency to first take Mr Shivakumar to a hospital and to see whether doctors suggest admission there. The Congress leader was produced before the court by the agency today after his Enforcement Directorate custody ended.

Mr Shivakumar’s lawyer had said in court that his health was very serious and he was close to a heart attack, news agency PTI reported. Mr Shivakumar’s lawyers sought bail on medical grounds.

“This is a case of granting bail, court can impose conditions. If not, then consider medical bail to DK Shivakumar,” senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi told the court.

The Enforcement Directorate had claimed in court that the interrogation of Mr Shivakumar had not been completed yet and asked for permission to interrogate him during judicial custody.

Representing the Enforcement Directorate, Additional Solicitor General KM Nataraj told the court that the seven-time MLA’s health condition did not allow effective questioning. The probe agency, opposing the bail plea of the Congress leader, said his medical conditions were taken care of by them.

DK Shivakumar, the chief troubleshooter of the Karnataka Congress and a powerful politician in the state, was summoned to Delhi for questioning by the agency last month, after the Karnataka High Court decided against the cancelling of the case and denied him protection from arrest in the money laundering case. He was arrested after four days of interrogation.

His 23-year-old daughter Aisshwarya too was questioned by the Enforcement Directorate last week.

The Enforcement Directorate registered a money laundering case against him and a few others in September last year for alleged tax evasion and illegal transactions worth crores.

Mr Shivakumar made national headlines in 2017 when he agreed to accommodate 44 party legislators from Gujarat at a resort to prevent them from being poached by the BJP ahead of a crucial Rajya Sabha election. Soon after, Income Tax officials came knocking on Mr Shivakumar’s door. Several properties linked to the Congress leader were also raided in August 2017.