Karnataka Energy minister D.K. Shivakumar on Monday afternoon appeared at the Income Tax Department's regional office in Bengaluru and he was questioned by a team of senior officials for nearly three hours.
This folloiws summons issued to the Minister and his associates by the department, which conducted search and seizure operations from August 2-5 at premises related to him.
Amidst reports that the Minister had sought time till Wednesday for appearance before I-T officials, he walked into the I-T office on Infantry Road around 12.30 p.m.
Walking out of the building after his questioning, Mr. Shivakumar refused to comment on any particulars of either the I-T action against him or political questions.
“The I-T Department has the authority to search the premises of any businessman and summon them. This is not the first time I have come here. I have respected the summons issued to me and appeared before I-T officials. I have answered their questions to the best of my satisfaction. I-T officials have not asked me to come for questioning again immediately. They said they will call me if needed. I have assured them of all co-operation,” he said.
I-T officials had uncovered a huge cache of documents that unearthed undisclosed income of nearly ₹300 crore during the marathon raids on the Minister's and his family members' premises and several firms across sectors that allegedly had business links with him.
The department is yet to issue a formal statement on the raids and there is no clarity on what part of the undisclosed income so unearthed belongs to the Minister.
In a raid, ₹8 crore cash was recovered from the Minister’s New Delhi residence in Safdarjung Road.
The department had audited the documents recovered at various premises during the four-day raids in relation to the declaration of assets and I-T returns filed by Mr. Shivakumar from 2013-17, marking out any undisclosed income.
The Minister is expected to be questioned on these properties and income, sources said, adding that he was yet to provide an explanation for the seized cash.