The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has issued a notice to Kerala-based Jaihind channel seeking details of the investments made in the channel by Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar in connection with a disproportionate assets case against the Congress leader, officials said on Sunday.
The Bengaluru unit of the agency, which is probing the case against Mr. Shivakumar, had asked the Managing Director of Jaihind Communications Pvt. Ltd. to appear before it on January 11, 2024, along with all the requisite documents sought by the investigation officer.
In its notice issued under Section 91 of the CrPC, the agency has asked the channel to furnish details of investments made by Mr. Shivakumar and is wife Usha Shivakumar, dividends paid to them, share transactions, financial transactions along with bank details through which they were made, statement of holdings, their ledger accounts, and contract notes among other details.
The CrPC section 91 empowers a police investigation officer to summon documents pertaining to a case probed by him.
The CBI has also asked it to present the details of investments made by Mr. Shivakumar's son and other family members in the channel.
Jaihind Managing Director B.S. Shiju said they have received the CBI notice and will provide all the documents the agency has requested, asserting that all records are in their possession and no illegality is involved.
He alleged that the CBI's action is a clear case of political vendetta by the BJP-led government at the Centre.
Mr. Shiju, who is also a Congress leader in Kerala, claimed that the case had been investigated and closed by the previous BJP-led Karnataka government due to the absence of any identified illegality.
He also said the reopening of the case is an attempt to "harass" the Congress party and its leaders ahead of the upcoming Lok Sabha election.
The CBI registered a case against Mr. Shivakumar in 2020, alleging that between 2013 and 2018, he had amassed assets worth over ₹74 crore, which are allegedly disproportionate to his income.
