Shivakumar sent to judicial custody; hearing on bail plea to continue on Wednesday

Court directs ED to take the Congress leader to hospital

Shivakumar was produced before the court on Tuesday on expiry of his custodial interrogation | PTI Shivakumar was produced before the court on Tuesday on expiry of his custodial interrogation | PTI

In a setback to senior Congress leader D.K. Shivakumar, arrested in a money laundering case, a Delhi court on Tuesday sent him to judicial custody till October 1 and posted his bail plea for further hearing on Wednesday.

Special judge Ajay Kumar Kuhar directed the Enforcement Directorate to take Shivakumar to the hospital first and see whether doctor suggests his admission there. If he is discharged, he will be sent to Tihar jail.

Earlier, Shivakumar, a sitting MLA and former Karnataka minister, was produced before the court on expiry of his custodial interrogation.

The ED had sought permission for Shivakumar's questioning in judicial custody, saying his health condition did not allow an effective interrogation. Additional Solicitor General (ASG) K.M. Nataraj, appearing for the ED, told the court that Shivakumar had been taken to hospital as directed by the court, and due to his aliment, they could not continue with interrogation.

However, demanding Shivakumar's release on bail, his lawyer Abhishek Manu Singhvi told the court that his health condition was very serious and that he was very close to a heart attack. 

He alleged that the ED is biased, mala fide and lying before the court about its investigation. “Only Rs 41 lakh was recovered from Shivakumar, not Rs 8.5 crore. Now it surprisingly becomes Rs 143 crore,” Singhvi argued.

He also said the agency was making allegations about 317 bank accounts only to spoil Shivakumar's image in media and public.

On Monday, the ED had claimed before the court that if released on bail, Shivakumar might influence the persons who are in the knowledge of his "grave offence" of money laundering and are yet to be examined.

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.

It had filed the PMLA case against him and others 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 tax evasion and hawala transactions worth crores of rupees.

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. 

With inputs from PTI

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