As Shivakumar Gets Set To Become Indias Richest Cm A Look At His Pending Cases

Senior Karnataka Congress leader D K Shivakumar, popularly known as DKS, is set to become the country's richest Chief Minister , going by his declared assets. He is scheduled to be sworn in as the CM later in the day. Senior Karnataka Congress leader D K Shivakumar, popularly known as DKS, is set to become the country's “richest Chief Minister”, going by his declared assets. He is scheduled to be sworn in as the CM later in the day. According to his 2023 Assembly poll affidavit, the combined net worth of Shivakumar and his dependents stood at Rs 1,413.78 crore, up from Rs 840.08 crore declared for contesting the 2018 election. His brother and former MP D K Suresh declared assets worth Rs 593 crore in his affidavit for the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. Shivakumar's political opponents, including JD(S) leader and Union Minister H D Kumaraswamy, have repeatedly questioned the sources of his wealth. Over the years, he has faced multiple allegations of misuse of office and accumulation of assets beyond known sources of income. While several cases against him have been closed or quashed, some continue to remain pending in courts. Here are some cases that Shivakumar still faces. 2017 I-T case One of the most significant cases pending against him is an Income Tax (IT) case linked to searches conducted in 2017, during which officials recovered Rs 8.59 crore from multiple locations. These searches coincided with Shivakumar hosting Congress legislators from Gujarat in order to “shield” them from “poaching” in the then crucial Rajya Sabha polls, prompting charges of political targeting. In court filings, the IT department alleged that Shivakumar had established “an extensive network of persons and premises across Delhi and Bengaluru” to transport and utilise unaccounted for cash. Following a chargesheet filed by the department in a Bengaluru special court for economic offences, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) registered a money-laundering case against him. Shivakumar was arrested by the ED in this case in 2019, following which he spent 50 days in the Tihar jail before being released on bail. The same year, the then BJP government in Karnataka granted consent to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to probe allegations that Shivakumar possessed assets disproportionate to his known sources of income under the Prevention of Corruption Act. After the Congress returned to power in the state in 2023, the Siddaramaiah-led party government withdrew this consent and transferred the matter to the state Lokayukta. The Karnataka High Court dismissed the CBI's challenge to the withdrawal of the state government's consent, directing the agency to approach the Supreme Court. The CBI moved the apex court in 2024. Meanwhile, the Supreme Court quashed the ED's money laundering proceedings linked to the case. Land denotification case Another matter that may continue to shadow Shivakumar is the Benniganahalli denotification case. He is accused of purchasing 4.2 acres of notified land in violation of provisions of the Karnataka Land Reforms Act. BJP veteran and ex-CM B S Yediyurappa, who allegedly denotified the