The Supreme Court on Thursday declined to stay proceedings by the Income Tax Department against Karnataka Congress chief D K Shivakumar over charges of recovery of undisclosed wealth. A bench of Chief Justice S A Bobde, Justices A S Bopanna and V Ramasubramaniun allowed the I-T Department to file its reply to the Congress leader’s petition challenging the November 2019 Karnataka High Court order, which upheld a trial court's decision dismissing his plea seeking discharge in the case. “Zoheb Hussain, counsel appearing for the respondent (I-T), prays for and is granted two weeks' time to file counter-affidavit. Rejoinder-affidavit, if any, be filed by the petitioner within one week thereafter. List the matter after four weeks," the court said in its order. The I-T Department had filed a complaint against Shivakumar and others over alleged recovery of undisclosed wealth after a search of his premises in August 2017. Appearing for him, senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi sought a stay of the HC order. He submitted that not staying it would cause irreparable harm. The court had refused to stay the proceedings when the matter came up for hearing last month as well.
