Verdict on DK Shivakumar's bail plea on Sep 25
New Delhi, Sep 21: Congress leader D K Shivakumar may influence witnesses in the money laundering case in which he has been arrested, the Enforcement Directorate on Saturday told a Delhi court, which said it will pass an order on his bail application on September 25.
Additional Solicitor General K M Nataraj, appearing for the ED, opposed the bail application before Special Judge Ajay Kumar Kuhar, saying that Shivakumar cannot turn his tainted property into untainted one just by paying tax on it.
Senior advocates Abhishek Manu Singhvi and Mukul Rohatgi, appearing for Shivakumar, opposed the ASG's submission and said that he was innocent and that the ED was desperate to keep him in jail.
Rohatgi said if people like P Chidambaram, arrested by ED in another case, are flight risk then everyone in the country is a flight risk.
After hearing arguments from both sides, the court reserved its order.
During the hearing, the ED, also represented by special public prosecutors Amit Mahajan, N K Matta and Nitesh Rana, said, "More than Shivakumar having deep roots in the society, I say, the case has deep rooted conspiracy. There is possibility of tampering with evidence."
"In the I-T proceedings, statements were made by certain people which were later retracted. This shows he can influence the witnesses in the case. Being an influential and powerful person, he may hamper the investigation," Rana said.
The ED accused Shivakumar of committing "serious economic offence" and said it's a threat to national economy.
"It may imbalance the national economy and pose a threat to national security. It has to be dealt this an iron hand," Rana said, adding that Shivakumar remained non-cooperative and evasive during investigation.
Apart from agricultural land, there are many non-agricultural land and properties which are required to be probed further and the investigation is at a crucial stage, the agency said.
"Shivakumar's brother had about 27 properties and agricultural land out of which 10 properties were purchased in cash or acquired by his father, but how it was acquired, we don't know," it said.
Opposing ED's plea, Singhvi said, "What is the meaning of presumption of innocence if this approach is taken? I object to going into merits at this stage. The approach is trying to influence the court by throwing huge figures. The amount of money is increasing every day."
"There are only 20 active accounts then where is the figure of 317 accounts coming from? Show me the 21st account and I would sit down," he said.
Rohatgi said the case was related to one income tax raid and the material recovered from it.
"This investigation cannot be travel without a crime. You are concerned with one raid, there is no license to investigate whatever you want, wherever you want," he said.
"The jails are overcrowded because of the approach of the agencies before court. They say DKS is a flight risk, P Chidambaram is a flight risk... In every case, they say people are at flight risk. If Chidambaram, who has been a lawyer and a politician for 40 years, is a flight risk then every other person is a flight risk," he added.
Is the recovered Rs 40 lakh amount from him impacting the country's economy, Rohatagi asked.
The ED had in September last year registered the money laundering case against Shivakumar, Haumanthaiah, an employee at the Karnataka Bhavan in New Delhi, and others, its advocate A R Aditya said.
The case was based on a charge sheet (prosecution complaint) filed by the Income Tax Department against them last year before a special court in Bengaluru on charges of alleged tax evasion and 'hawala' transactions worth crores.
The I-T department has accused Shivakumar and his alleged associate S K Sharma of transporting huge amount of unaccounted cash on a regular basis through 'hawala' channels with the help of three other accused.
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UP: Fake IAS officer marries woman, flees with Rs 15 lakh dowry
Gorakhpur (UP) (PTI): A newly married man fled with the Rs 15 lakh given to him as dowry by the bride's family, and it came to light later that he was an alleged serial scammer, police said on Sunday.
The accused, identified as Pritam Kumar Nishad from Etawah, allegedly posed as an IAS officer to deceive the woman into marrying him. He is currently absconding with his sister, and a case has been filed against him for cheating, dowry harassment, and forgery, officials said.
According to the police, the woman's family claimed that they spent nearly Rs 30 lakh for the wedding that was solemnised on March 11.
The match was arranged through a matrimonial group, where the accused introduced himself as an IAS officer, sharing purported interview clips, office visuals, and photographs with politicians to gain the family's trust.
Despite initially claiming he would marry without dowry, the accused allegedly demanded Rs 15 lakh shortly before the engagement. The bride's family paid Rs 10 lakh in cash during the engagement and the remaining Rs 5 lakh on the wedding day, the police said.
The fraud came to light on Saturday after the woman reached Etawah, and a wedding attendee informed the family that the accused was not a civil servant. When her relatives visited the address provided by him, they found her in a small rented room, while the accused and his sister had fled, the police added.
The woman has also alleged that the accused planned to take her to Goa and sell her, and accused him of inappropriate behaviour.
The police suspect that the accused may have been involved in multiple such marriages in the past. Based on a complaint lodged at the cantonment police station, an FIR was registered on Saturday evening.
Senior Superintendent of Police Dr Kaustubh said efforts are underway to arrest the accused.
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