The Karnataka government has given the green light to withdraw the CBI investigation into Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar regarding the alleged disproportionate assets case. The decision was reached during a cabinet meeting held at Vidhansoudha, led by CM Siddaramaiah.

Karnataka Law Minister HK Patil emphasized that the former BJP-led government's choice to transfer the case to the CBI did not align with legal protocols. Speaking to the press after the meeting, Patil highlighted the careful consideration given to opinions from both the advocate general of the prior government and the current administration.

"The cabinet extensively reviewed the previous government's flawed decision. Our assessment, supported by legal counsel, concluded that the past move wasn’t legally sound," Patil stated, emphasizing the discrepancy between the decision and legal norms.

To date, a total of 577 cases related to assets exceeding reported income have been registered. Notably, despite these cases, the CBI has yet to investigate any of them, with local law enforcement handling the inquiries. Consequently, the state government's decision represents a significant reprieve for Shivakumar.

Shivakumar's office highlighted a comparison to Congress MLA Zameer Ahmad Khan, who faced similar accusations but had his case transferred to the Lokayukta by the BJP government.

The CBI had filed an FIR against DK Shivakumar back in 2018, and in 2019, then Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa had concurred to transfer the case to the central investigative agency. The central agency’s investigation pertains to Shivakumar’s purported possession of assets disproportionate to his known sources of income, following an earlier Income Tax search operation conducted against him.

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