Daijiworld Media Network - Bengaluru (SP)

Bengaluru, Aug 7: Karnataka energy minister, D K Shivakumar, who was going through a phase of rest and recuperation after the harrowing experience of surprise raid by income tax officials on his various properties and those of his close ones and relatives, received summons from income tax department seeking his personal appearance.

The department, sources said, which has taken into possession a large number of documents during its four-day raids on the residence of the minster and houses of his close associates, had begun the process of verifying the documents immediately thereafter. Summons have also been issued to minister's confidante and astrologer, Dwarakanath, Sachin Narayan and Shivakumar's father-in-law, Thimmaiah.

It is gathered that the minister , who confirmed to media persons on Sunday August 6 that he was in receipt of the summons, has sought time of two days to be able to present himself before the authorities. "The department has served summons on me in tune with law and I will appear for the investigation. No one is above law, and I too am not an exception," he stated.

The officials are learnt to have found documents pertaining to undeclared assets worth around Rs 300 crore. They are now checking huge stack of documents they had seized during the raids at over 60 spots. The process is being carried out at the regional office of the department here. The officials want to verify whether documents relating to immovable and movable properties of the minster confiscated from offices and residences of those close to the minister have anything to do with the business interests of Shivakumar.

During the personal appearance of Shivakumar and others, the officials plan to pick documents one by one and verify payment of income tax, property tax etc relating to each of them by questioning the concerned, and find out whether any of these properties stand in fake names.

It is said that the officials, who have stumbled upon undeclared property worth Rs 300 crore in the names of the minister and his associates, will undertake detailed scrutiny within a week and then write to enforcement directorate to undertake investigation.