Following the raids for over three days, Karnataka Energy Minister DK Shivakumar has been asked to appear before the Income Tax Department in Bengaluru on Monday with reference to the tax evasion probe.
"It is a normal procedure. The minister has sought two days to appear," an I-T department spokesperson told the Times of India.
Calling himself a law-abiding citizen and saying that he would definitely show full cooperation, Shivakumar has reportedly said that he would consult his advisers and then decide on when to appear before the department.
Summons were issued to Shivakumar, his relatives and associates, whose houses were raided by the I-T department. It is mandated that notice is issued after the premises are checked.
Technically the search and seizure operations are over. Pending formalities like documentation of seized materials and recording statements have to be taken care of within the time frame of 60 days.
After the all formalities are completed, the recorded statements along with other documentation will be sent to the director general of the investigation wing in New Delhi.
The operation
The department called it a 'marathon operation' and further said that this had been one of the biggest I-T operations so far. The operation involved 300 officials looking into 70 premises under Shivakumar, his relatives and friends across Karnataka.
With the income tax department closing in on energy minister, KPCC President G Parameshwara had held a closed door meeting on Sunday for three hours to discuss the political fallout of these raids and how to deal with it in the days to come.
Further, Shivakumar had also held meetings with ministers MB Patil, A Manju and Laxmi Hebbalkar, the party's woman wing chief and aide. He also summoned his financial advisers to draft responses to the queries by the I-T department on seizures and foreign investments, said the report.
The raids
The I-T department had recovered an undisclosed amount in raids on Shivakumar last week. The department has denied charges that the raids were politically motivated.
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