HC stays CBI probe against KPCC chief D K Shivakumar till Feb 24, orders agency to submit report
Bengaluru, Feb 10: The Karnataka High Court on Friday stayed the Central Bureau of Investigation's (CBI) proceedings in a corruption case against Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president D K Shivakuamar till February 24.
The HC has also directed the premier agency to submit an action taken report before February 22 in the case registered under the Prevention of Corruption Act. The Enforcement Directorate had issued summons to Shivakumar while his daughter was issued a notice by the CBI, the Congress leader had revealed on February 8. He had been asked to appear before ED on February 22, which he had alleged to be political vendetta.
Appearing for the Congress state president before Justice K Natarajan on Friday, senior counsel C H Jadhav argued that it was an attempt by the CBI and ED to impose mental pressure on his counsel ahead of the upcoming Karnataka Assembly elections.
The agencies were repeatedly issuing notices to Shivakumar and his family, the court was told.
The HC pointed out that the cases were from 2020. The court also questioned the CBI on the progress of the investigation over the last two years. The court asked the agency when it would file the final report. It stayed the proceedings till the next date of hearing and adjourned the case.
The issue began with the Income Tax raid on Shivakumar in 2017. Based on the information provided by the IT department, the ED too started its probe against him.
Based on the ED investigation, the CBI sought sanction from the state government to file an FIR against the Congress state president. The sanction came on September 25, 2019 and the FIR was filed on October 3, 2020.
Shivakumar has also challenged the FIR in the HC.
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K’taka HC judge whose controversial remarks triggered controversy expresses regret before open court
Bengaluru: Karnataka High Court judge, Justice V Srishananda, on Saturday expressed regret in open court after facing backlash over his controversial remarks in his recent court hearings, reported Bar and Bench.
Two purported video clips from Justice V Srishananda’s court hearing that show him making inappropriate comments went viral across social media platforms.
On Saturday, Justice Srishananda invited members of the Advocates Association, Bengaluru, and senior lawyers to his courtroom at 2:30 PM, where he read out a note expressing regret for inappropriate comments.
Quoting Advocates Association President Vivek Subba Reddy, Bar and Bench wrote, “He expressed regret for the comments and clarified that it was not his intention to offend any community or members of the Bar. He also requested the association to relay this message to all members of the Bar.”
Reddy further stated, “We also advised him to encourage young lawyers in the courtroom and refrain from making any irrelevant remarks during hearings.”
Another senior lawyer present during the session confirmed to the legal news portal that Justice Srishananda also addressed comments directed at a woman lawyer, who was seen in one of the videos being reprimanded by the judge. The judge Justice Srishananda clarified that his remarks were not intended to target her (woman lawyer) specifically, but rather pertained to the appellant she was representing. “He explained that his comment was meant to imply that the appellant seemed to know a lot about the other party,” said the lawyer.
In addition, Justice Srishananda assured those present that he would avoid making such comments in the future.
The controversy came to light on September 19, when a video clip from an August 28 Court hearing surfaced on social media, showing Justice Srishananda referring to a Muslim-majority sub-locality in Bengaluru’s Goripalya as "Pakistan." Hours later, another video from the same courtroom emerged, in which the judge was seen making a gender-insensitive remark.
Following outrage over the viral videos, a Supreme Court bench led by Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud, along with Justices Sanjiv Khanna, BR Gavai, Surya Kant, and Hrishikesh Roy, on September 20 took a suo motu cognizance and sought a report from the Karnataka High Court Registrar General in connection with the viral video.
