CBI Disproportionate Assets Case (2020-Present)

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) registered a disproportionate assets (DA) case against D.K. Shivakumar in October 2020. This action followed a request from the Karnataka state government in 2019 to the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) to grant sanction for the CBI to probe Shivakumar. The CBI's FIR alleged that Shivakumar amassed wealth disproportionate to his known sources of income during his tenure as a minister in the Karnataka government between 2013 and 2018. The case was primarily based on information that emerged during the Enforcement Directorate's money laundering investigation against him, which itself stemmed from the 2017 Income Tax raids.

Upon registering the FIR, CBI officials conducted searches at 14 locations across Karnataka, Delhi, and Mumbai associated with Shivakumar and his family members, allegedly recovering cash and documents. D.K. Shivakumar has strongly denied the allegations, stating that the cases are politically motivated and aimed at harassing him. He subsequently approached the Karnataka High Court challenging the CBI's FIR and the legality of the sanction granted for the probe. The High Court initially granted an interim stay on the CBI investigation in 2020, but later vacated it in 2023, allowing the CBI to continue its investigation. The DA case remains under active investigation by the CBI.