On Sunday, a notice was issued to Jaihind channel, a company based in Kerala, regarding a case involving disproportionate assets linked to Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar. The Central Bureau of Investigation's (CBI) Bengaluru unit, tasked with probing the matter, summoned the Managing Director of Jaihind Communications Pvt Ltd to appear on January 11, 2024, along with all necessary documents.
The CBI, under Section 91 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC), sought detailed information on investments in the Jaihind channel made by DK Shivakumar and his wife Usha Shivakumar. The notice specified various requirements, including information on dividends, share transactions, financial dealings, bank details, and investments by Shivakumar's son and other family members in the channel.
Section 91 of the CrPC grants authority to the police investigation officer to summon pertinent documents in an ongoing case. B S Shiju, the Managing Director of Jaihind, acknowledged receiving the CBI notice and expressed the company's commitment to providing all requested documents. Shiju emphasized that all records are legally held, and the company is not involved in any illegal activities.
Shiju accused the CBI of pursuing a political vendetta on behalf of the BJP-led government at the Centre. He asserted that the case had been previously investigated and closed by the BJP-led Karnataka government due to a lack of identified illegality. As a Congress leader in Kerala, Shiju claimed that reopening the case is an attempt to harass the Congress party and its leaders ahead of the upcoming Lok Sabha polls.
In 2020, the CBI had filed a case against Shivakumar, alleging that between 2013 and 2018, he had amassed assets exceeding Rs 74 crore, supposedly disproportionate to his income.