DK Shivakumar\'s health worrisome; crucial hearing on bail in ED court today
Bengaluru: Former Karnataka minister and Congress leader D.K. Shivakumar who is now in the extended custody of the Enforcement Directorate (ED), spent his time on Monday at Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital, with doctors shifting him to the Coronory Care Unit (CCU) after his health deteriorated.
His custody will come to an end on Tuesday and the ED, which had arrested him on September 3, is expected to produce him before the ED designated court where his bail petition is being heard. If Shivakumar's bail petition is rejected, he will be sent to judicial custody, said sources.
On Friday, after the ED designated court extended Shivakumar's custody, the former minister was taken to RML hospital with high blood pressure and fever. Since his blood pressure did not come down till Saturday, he was shifted to the CCU as the high BP was causing a strain on his heart. He is likely to remain in the CCU till Tuesday afternoon and taken to court directly from there, sources said.
Meanwhile, on Monday, the ED claimed before the Delhi court that if released on bail, Shivakumar may influence those persons who know about his 'grave offence' of money laundering and are yet to be examined. Opposing Shivakumar's bail application, the ED told Special Judge Ajay Kumar Kuhar that the investigation was at a crucial stage and the release of the politician may destroy important evidence. The court is likely to continue hearing arguments on the bail application on Tuesday. The ED had in September last year registered the money laundering case against Shivakumar, Haumanthaiah, an employee at Karnataka Bhavan in New Delhi, and others. It had filed PMLA case against him and others based on a charge sheet by the Income Tax department against them last year before a special court in Bengaluru on charges of tax evasion and hawala transactions worth crores of rupees. The I-T department has accused Shivakumar and his alleged associate S.K. Sharma of transporting huge amounts of unaccounted cash.
