Bengaluru, Oct 23: Former Prime Minister H DDeve Gowda and ex-Chief Ministers H D Kumaraswamy andSiddaramaiah welcomed the Delhi HighCourt order on Wednesday granting bail to Congress leader D K Shivakumar in a money laundering case, filed by the Enforcement Directorate.

As the news about Shivakumar getting bail broke, his supporters and Congress workers celebrated by bursting crackers and distributing sweets in Ramanagara, Belagavi, Tumakuru, Kanakapura, Mandya and near his Bengaluru residence.

"Delhi High Court granting bail to D K Shivakumar has increased common man's trust in country's judicial system. I welcome the court's decision," Gowda tweeted.

Shivakumar, a seven-time MLA, was arrested by the EDon September 3 under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).

"Getting bail from Delhi high court is happy news," Siddaramaiah told reporters at Bagalkote.

He alleged that Shivakumar was being politically targeted.

"...let them (ED) investigate, but sending to jail duringinvestigation is not right. On proving to be guilty one can besent to jail, but sending while the investigation is still onis not right. Vengeance politics is not right..," he added.

The 57-year-old Shivakumar is under judicial custody and presently lodged in Tihar jail.

Both the Congress and Shivakumar have claimed he was beingtargeted by the BJP-led government at the Centre by "misusing" investigating agencies.

"Delhi High Court granting bail to D K Shivakumar is a matter of happiness. On Monday I had met Shivakumar and tried to boost his courage, and expressed hope about him getting bail," Kumaraswamy tweeted.

The JD(S) leader who met Shivakumar at Tihar jail on Monday had said that the Congress leader was "bold" to fight "vengeance politics".

Shivakumar and Kumaraswamy, both Vokkaliga strong men, have been bitter political opponents in the old Mysuru region,until they came together for the formation of Congress-JD(S) coalition government, after 2018 assembly polls.

Shivakumar was a key minister in the Kumaraswamy cabinet and played a major rule in the stability of the coalition government until it collapsed in July, following resignation of several MLAs of the two parties, eventually leading to installation of the BJP government.

His arrest had lead to widespread protests, especially in Ramanagara, Bengaluru rural, Mandya and other parts of old Mysuru region.

It had even taken a caste colour with thousands of people belonging to the Vokkaliga community taking out a rally recently in Bengaluru protesting the arrest and expressing solidarity with him.

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Bengaluru: The Karnataka High Court on Tuesday scheduled its next hearing on a plea seeking the transfer of the investigation into the alleged Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA) scam to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). Currently, the case is being investigated by the Lokayukta Police.

Senior advocate KG Raghavan, representing the petitioner, argued for an independent CBI probe, emphasizing that the investigation should remain free from the influence of the state government and the Chief Minister.

The case also implicates Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, who is facing allegations of illegal allotment of 14 prime sites in Mysuru city by MUDA to his wife.

Siddaramaiah has challenged the Governor’s sanction for prosecution, which was upheld by the High Court in a previous judgment. The court found no procedural irregularities in Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot’s approval of the investigation.

On Thursday, the High Court deferred the Chief Minister’s plea to challenge the single-bench order to January 20. Siddaramaiah's petition questions the legality of the Governor’s sanction under Section 17A of the Prevention of Corruption Act and prosecution under Section 218 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023.

Based on the Lokayukta's First Information Report (FIR), the Enforcement Directorate (ED) has initiated a money laundering investigation in addition to the Lokayukta investigation. Siddaramaiah has blamed the accusations as politically driven and denied any misconduct in the face of growing legal pressure and BJP claims. Despite the ongoing probes, he has rejected calls to resign.

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