The Karnataka High Court on Monday ordered an interim stay against the previous state government’s sanction to the Central Bureau of Investigation for inquiry against Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar in a corruption case, Bar and Bench reported.

The order was passed by a division bench of Chief Justice Prasanna B Varale and Justice MGS Kamal.

In 2019, the Bharatiya Janata Party government in Karnataka had allowed the CBI to conduct an investigation against Shivakumar. The investigation was based on inputs it had received from the Enforcement Directorate which was conducting a separate money laundering investigation against Shivakumar.

The Enforcement Directorate had accused him of evading tax and being involved in alleged hawala transactions worth crores of rupees.

In 2020, the CBI had registered a case alleging that Shivakumar possessed disproportionate assets to the tune of Rs 74.93 crore. It had also conducted raids on 14 premises linked to Shivakumar.

On April 20, a single bench of the Karnataka High Court had rejected Shivakumar’s appeal against the state department’s sanction to the CBI. The Congress leader had challenged this order before the division bench.

On Tuesday, the division bench of the High Court ordered adjourned the case till July 17, and said that the order of the single-judge will be stayed for the time being.