Karnataka Water Resources Minister DK Shivakumar, his brother MP DK Suresh received anticipatory bail from the Economic Offences Court on Thursday in connection with Income Tax raids.
Along with him, his associates Hanumanthaiah, Anjaneya, Sunil Kumar Sharma, Sachin Narayana and one other person also got anticipatory bail. They were asked to pay a bond of Rs 50,000 each.
I-T officials had then reportedly seized around Rs 10 crores from different places related to DK Shivakumar in separate search operations. The amount was seized from New Delhi, Karnataka State Employees quarters in Bengaluru and Eagleton resorts in Bidadi, Karnataka. The IT officials had also allegedly found a dairy with transactions recorded with the amount paid mentioned as ‘kgs’.
Four days ago, Sachin Narayana had filed a writ petition with the Karnataka High Court, asking for a stay in the probe being conducted by the Income Tax Department. Sachin alleged that I-T officials were harassing him, DKS and the others. He also alleged that the officials had tampered with evidence.
The I-T Department had earlier filed four cases against DK Shivakumar based on the raids conducted since August 2017. All these cases were being heard by the Special Economic Offences Court wing in Bengaluru. He earlier received conditional. bail in connection with three of those cases, which were filed against him for alleged destruction of evidence. He had reportedly been charged under sections 276C(1) [wilful tax evasion] and 277 [false statement in verification] of the Income Tax Act. At the time, the Economic Offences Wing Court judge Justice MS Alva granted conditional bail to Shivakumar. He was asked to furnish a bond of Rs 1 lakh bond, and sureties of Rs 25,000 by two persons.
Shivakumar’s bail on Thursday comes after the Karnataka High Court on Monday stayed proceedings of I-T cases against the minister.
Sources close to DK Shivakumar said the stay order issued by the Karnataka High Court ensured that the minister is not under any threat of being arrested.