New Delhi: A Delhi court on Wednesday sent Karnataka Congress leader DK Shivakumar to the Enforcement Directorate's custody until September 13. The probe agency had earlier sought 14-day custodial interrogation of the leader, who was arrested on Tuesday night in a case of money laundering.
Special judge Ajay Kumar Kuhar pronounced the order in the matter after the ED argued that Shivakumar had been evasive and non-cooperative in the probe and there was "phenomenal growth" in his income while he was in important position.
Opposing the ED's contentions, Shivakumar's counsel said that the Congress leader has already been quizzed for 33 hours by the agency and he is not a flight risk.
The ED had in September last year registered the money laundering case against Shivakumar, Haumanthaiah, an employee at Karnataka Bhavan in New Delhi, and others.
Shivakumar, arrested on Tuesday night, was produced before the court after he underwent medical check up at Ram Manohar Lohia hospital here.
Shivakumar's lawyers Abhishek Manu Singhvi and Dayan Krishnan opposed the ED's plea for custodial interrogation, saying that he had joined the probe and never absconded. His counsel claimed that Shivakumar has not been given food today and seemed that it is "slow torture" by ED.
Singhvi said the police remand is a rare exception and cannot be granted in a mechanical manner and the ED's plea for Shivakumar's custodial interrogation is perverse. He was opposing the submissions of the ED which told the court that the Income Tax investigation and statement of various witnesses have revealed "incriminating evidence" against Shivakumar.
The probe agency claimed he was "evasive and non-cooperative" during the probe and there was phenomenal growth in his income while he was in an important position. The ED said his custody is required as he has to be confronted with voluminous documents and to unearth illegal properties.
Custodial interrogation of Shivakumar is necessary as some facts are in his personal knowledge, it said, adding that he tried to misguide the investigation. It said Shivakumar's interrogation was needed to ascertain the source of money and unearth the modus operandi and that he did not explain cash seized in search.
The Karnataka Congress on Wednesday observed a statewide bandh in protest against the arrest. Several Youth Congress workers were detained in Delhi following a scuffle with police personnel during a protest. The protesters raised slogans against the government and burnt effigies of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah outside the Indian Youth Congress' office in central Delhi.
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