Delhi Court Extends Karnataka Congress Leader DK Shivakumar's ED Custody Till Sept 17

Opposing ED's plea to extend the Congress leader's custody, Shivakumar's counsel Abhishek Manu Singhvi submitted that his client was suffering from serious medical ailments, including high blood pressure.

The probe agency sought a five-day extension of custodial interrogation. (File Photo/ Getty)

New Delhi: A Delhi Court on Friday extended Karnataka Congress leader DK Shivakumar's Enforcement Directorate (ED) custody till September 17 in a money laundering case. The judge asked the ED to take him to a doctor, take care of his medical condition and then question him. Opposing ED's plea to extend the Congress leader's custody, Shivakumar's counsel Abhishek Manu Singhvi submitted that his client was suffering from serious medical ailments, including high blood pressure. Reports also state that the Congress leader was produced before special judge Ajay Kumar Kuhar, with the ED seeking a five-day extension for custodial interrogation. Shivakumar was arrested on September 3 by the ED and today was produced before the court on the expiry of his 9-day custodial interrogation. According to reports, the probe agency sought a five-day extension of custodial interrogation, saying that Shivakumar was evasive in his replies and gave irrelevant answers during the interrogation. On Thursday, ED questioned Shivakumar's daughter Aishwarya in the national capital in connection with its money laundering probe against the Congress strongman. As per officials, she was questioned about a business trip to Singapore that she had taken in 2017 along with her father. Aishwarya is a trustee in an education trust floated by her father. Officials also informed news agency PTI that the 22-year-old management graduate will be questioned and her statement will be recorded under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). Earlier the Court had allowed ED to interrogate the politician in custody, saying the allegations made against him were serious in nature. Officials have also informed that the trust holds assets and businesses worth crores, operates a number of engineering and other colleges and Aishwarya is the main person behind them. The central agency in September last year registered a money-laundering case against Shivakumar, Haumanthaiah, an employee at the Karnataka Bhavan in New Delhi, and others. The criminal case was filed based on an Income Tax Department charge sheet filed against Shivakumar and others before a court in Bengaluru for alleged tax evasion and hawala dealings.