Have done no wrong, only did party work, says DK Shivakumar facing DA case
Bengaluru (PTI): Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar on Wednesday claimed that he has done no wrong, and did only the party work, for which he has faced a lot of troubles.
The state Congress president's comments were in the context of proceedings in Karnataka High Court, in connection with the CBI's investigation in a disproportionate assets (DA) case against him.
"I don't know anything....I don't know what has happened in the court, it won't be right on my part to comment without knowing....my lawyers will have to inform me, without that I cannot comment as it is a court matter, and according to me staying away from court matter is good," Shivakumar told reporters in response to a question on the proceedings in the High Court.
On BJP leader and MLA Basanagouda Patil Yatnal filing an intervening application challenging the withdrawal by the state government of the consent for the CBI probe in the DA case, he said, "Let anyone do anything...I know who has said or commented what, and have observed them with utmost humility. I will respond to them at the right time, not now."
Asked if he saw the development in the court as a relief, the deputy CM said, "People have seen, I have done no wrong."
"I only did the party work. I have suffered a lot of troubles for doing the party work. If they want to trouble me in the future too, there is god, and people of the state are also there. You know what happened in the state, for troubling me (possibly indicating assembly poll results). My 'namaskaras' to the people who stood by me and prayed for me," he added.
The High Court today allowed Shivakumar to withdraw the appeal filed by him challenging a single judge's order refusing to quash a government sanction to the CBI to prosecute him in the assets case.
The previous BJP government had granted sanction to the CBI to prosecute Shivakumar, following which an FIR was lodged against him and an investigation undertaken on alleged charges of disproportionate assets.
Shivakumar withdrew the appeal after the current Karnataka cabinet, headed by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on November 23, held that the previous BJP government's move to give consent to the CBI to investigate the DA case against Shivakumar was not in accordance with law and decided to withdraw the sanction. Subsequently, a Government Order was issued in this regard.
Based on the Income Tax Department's search operations in Shivakumar's home and offices in 2017, the Enforcement Directorate started its own probe against him.
Based on the ED investigation, the CBI sought sanction from the state government to file an FIR against him, for which the sanction was given on September 25, 2019. The CBI filed an FIR against Shivakumar on October 3, 2020.
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Indian national sentenced to 35 years in prison for sexual exploitation of minors, child pornography
New York (PTI): A 31-year-old Indian national has been sentenced to 35 years in prison for sexually exploiting several children through a social media app where he often posed as a teenage boy to gain their trust and threatened and extorted them with child pornography when they refused his requests.
Sai Kumar Kurremula, 31, an Indian national living in Edmond, Oklahoma on an immigrant visa, has been sentenced to serve 420 months in federal prison for the sexual exploitation of three children and transportation of child pornography, US Attorney Robert Troester said in a statement.
At the sentencing hearing last week, US District Judge Charles Goodwin sentenced Kurremula to serve 420 months in federal prison, followed by a lifetime term of supervised release.
In announcing his sentence, Goodwin noted that these offences are among those that society considers the most serious because they involve such vulnerable victims. Goodwin further highlighted that Kurremula inflicted trauma on his victims that will echo throughout their lives and their families’ lives, and his lengthy sentence of imprisonment reflects that trauma.
In April last year, Kurremula was charged with sexual exploitation of children and transportation of child pornography. According to an affidavit filed in support of a criminal complaint, in October 2023, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) began investigating an account on a social media messaging app involving a user who was sexually exploiting minor girls.
The Internet Protocol address used to create the account led federal authorities to Kurremula. Public documents and evidence at the sentencing hearing allege Kurremula had sexually exploited at least 19 minors through the social media messaging app, often posing as a 13-15-year-old boy to gain the trust of his victims. When the victims refused his requests, Kurremula would manipulate, threaten, and extort his victims to produce even more child pornography.
Kurremula had pleaded guilty and admitted to sexually exploiting three minor victims and knowingly transporting images of child pornography. Specifically, Kurremula admitted that to ensure the minor victims complied, he threatened one minor that he would drive to her house and show her parents sexually explicit images of her; threatened another victim that he would come to her home and shoot her family; and threatened a third young individual that he would publicly post sexually explicit images and videos of her.
“The appalling exploitation, manipulation, and coercion of multiple children by this defendant justly warranted the 35-year sentence imposed by the Court,” Troester said. “This case serves as a clear warning to others that the strongest of penalties await those who exploit and victimize our children.” FBI Oklahoma City Special Agent in Charge Doug Goodwater said Kurremula manipulated children into sending him explicit images for his perverse gratification. “These disgusting actions robbed the victims of their innocence and caused unthinkable harm,” Goodwater said.
