Karnataka Congress president DK Shivakumar on Monday, September 19, appeared before the Enforcement Directorate for questioning in a money laundering case. The 60-year-old Congress leader reached the office of the federal agency at Delhi’s APJ Abdul Kalam Road at around noon and was seen entering the office after getting a pass made from the front office.
The ED had issued a summons to Shivakumar last week. The Congress leader had said he was not aware of the case for which he has been asked to appear before the agency. The agency is understood to have issued the latest summons after taking cognisance of a CBI case against him, linked to alleged possession of disproportionate assets. "In the midst of the #BharatJodoYatra and the Assembly session, they have again issued me an ED summon to appear. I am ready to cooperate but the timing of this summon and the harassment I am put through, is coming in the way of discharging my constitutional and political duties,” Shivakumar had tweeted at the time.
All India Congress Committee (AICC) in-charge of Karnataka, Randeep Singh Surjewala, had slammed the Narendra Modi-led Union government over the summons, calling it a response to the “overwhelming” public support for the Congress and its Bharat Jodo Yatra. "Such cowardly acts will strengthen our resolve to decimate the corrupt Bommai (Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai) government," he said. "Mekedatu Yatra, the August 3 rally, the August 15 Freedom March, exposing of 40% commission Sarkara-Jobs Scams & failure on Bengaluru floods have unnerved the Modi Govt. The illegitimate Bommai Govt is looting #Karnataka recklessly becoming infamous for One Scam a Day' (sic)," Singh further tweeted.
The ED had arrested Shivakumar on September 3, 2019 in another money laundering case and the Delhi High Court granted him bail in October that year. The agency had in May this year filed a charge sheet against him and others in this case, which was registered after taking cognisance of an Income Tax department charge sheet filed against him.