Karnataka Congress Chief DK Shivakumar leaves Bharat Jodo Yatra, to appear before ED in Delhi

ED had earlier rejected DK Shivakumar's request to extend the date of his appearance before the agency. He alleged BJP-led Centre of misusing probe agencies to harass him

Image courtesy: ANI (Twitter)

New Delhi: Karnataka Congress unit chief DK Shivakumar has reached the Enforcement Directorate (ED) office in Delhi today morning, October 7, a day after the agency summoned him and his brother, MP DK Suresh in connection with Young India Pvt Ltd. Shivakumar has been asked to appear before ED today. The agency has summoned him and his brother, MP DK Suresh in connection with a probe related to their financial contribution to Young India Private Limited.

Earlier, ED had rejected Shivakumar's request for extending the date of his appearance before the agency and directed the brothers to appear before ED nonetheless. Shivakumar, before leaving for ED office, said that he had to leave Bharat Jodo Yatra in middle to reach Delhi. 

Delhi | I've been summoned by ED. I requested them to call both me & my brother DK Suresh after Oct 23 but concerned officer directed us to present before him nonetheless. So we left yatra in middle & reached here: Karnataka Cong Chief DK Shivakumar before leaving for ED office pic.twitter.com/XTbaqntJfI — ANI (@ANI) October 7, 2022

"I had requested time to appear which was denied. I asked time as Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Yatra is passing through Karnataka and there are my responsibilities," he said. DK Shivakumar said in a statement that he will take a decision after consulting with the party leaders. 

Meanwhile, Congress has called the ED summons to Shivakumar in the midst of the Bharat Jodo Yatra as an attempt to derail the march by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-ruled Centre. Congress said that the BJP is anxious about the overwhelming response from people to the Yatra. DK Shivakumar also accused the government of misusing agencies to harass him after seeing the success of the Bharat Jodo Yatra. The Congress leader said he would discuss the summons with fellow party leaders and take a call on whether he should appear.

ED had filed a charge sheet against Shivakumar and others in a money laundering case in May. The case was registered based on a complaint filed by the Income Tax (IT) department. The IT department, during the initial probe, had allegedly found unaccounted and misreported wealth linked to the Congress leader. DK Shivakumar earlier had called the charges "baseless" and "politically motivated". 

Earlier, the ED has also summoned DK Shivakumar’s wife and mother to appear before it, which was later challenged in the Delhi High Court. According to the source, the ED has not mentioned Shivakumar’s wife and mothe’`s names in the charge sheet.

In August this year, a Special CBI Court of Delhi granted bail to four accused in a money laundering case connected with Shivkumar registered by ED. The Special Judge Vikas Dhull while granting bail to four accused said, "the bail applications are allowed and the accused are admitted to regular bail subject to their furnishing personal bond in the sum of Rs 1 lakh each with one surety each of the like amount subject to the condition that accused shall not leave this country without prior permission of this court and shall not try to tamper with the evidence or influence any witness." ED had arrested Karnataka Congress leader DK Shivakumar on September 3, 2019, in the case and later Delhi High Court granted him bail in October 2019.

(With agency inputs)