Setback as court sends DK Shivakumar to judicial custody for 14 days

BENGALURU: A Delhi special court on Tuesday sent Congress leader and former minister DK Shivakumar, arrested in a money-laundering case by the Enforcement Directorate (ED), to judicial custody for 14 days.
Special judge Ajay Kumar Kuhar directed the Enforcement Directorate to take Shivakumar to hospital first and check whether doctors suggest admitting him. The agency claimed in court his interrogation was yet to be completed and sought permission from the judge to question him in judicial custody. The ED arrested Shivakumar on September 3, and his custody ended on Tuesday.
“In case he is admitted to hospital, his custody will be taken over by the superintendent of Central Jail, Tihar, who shall provide guards for the accused. The doctors shall hand over his custody to the jail superintendent on his discharge,” the judge said.
He said if Shivakumar is taken to Tihar Jail, then the authorities should permit him to take his medicines subject to the approval of the duty doctor there.
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The court took into consideration the MLA’s medical records which said he suffers from hypertension and fluctuating blood pressure, has undergone angioplasty and is on a heavy dosage of medicines.
The leader’s lawyers had filed a bail application to which the ED filed objection on Monday saying Shivakumar’s release would hamper the investigation. “The hearing on the bail application will continue on Wednesday as the arguments were incomplete on Tuesday,” said a lawyer representing Shivakumar.
The ED lawyers argued that the accused must be remanded to judicial custody for 14 days and investigators should be allowed to question him in jail as they could not complete the interrogation since Shivakumar was hospitalised for four days when he was in their custody.
Senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi, appearing for Shivakumar, argued he is suffering from a heart ailment and he should not be sent to judicial custody.
Singhvi said only Rs 41 lakh was recovered from Shivakumar and not Rs 8.5 crore, as alleged by the ED, and now surprisingly the figure has become Rs 143 crore. He alleged the ED is biased and mala fide and is lying before the court about the investigation. The agency’s claim about 317 bank accounts was only to spoil Shivakumar’s image in media and public, he added. Opposing the bail plea, ED said it had taken care of his medical conditions.
The ED summoned Shivakumar’s confidant and Congress MLA from Belagavi Rural, Laxmi Hebbalkar, to record her statement in the case. She has been asked to appear before investigators on Thursday.