ED raids Karnataka minister Satish Jarkiholi, family members over excise licence probe

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Wednesday conducted searches at the residences and premises linked to Public Works Minister Satish Jarkiholi, his daughter and Chikkodi Lok Sabha member Priyanka Jarkiholi, and his brother-in-law Y Manjunath as part of an investigation into alleged irregularities in the issuance of liquor licences.

The searches covered 18 locations linked to Jarkiholi and his family in Bengaluru, Gokak in Belagavi district and parts of Maharashtra, according to people familiar with the matter. ED officials are examining documents and other records seized during the searches to trace the alleged money trail, the people said.

Manjunath, a joint commissioner in the state excise department, is among those whose role is being examined in the wider investigation into alleged corruption and irregularities in the issuance of bar licences, according to the people cited above.


The action comes ahead of the Congress government completing 100 days in office under Chief Minister DK Shivakumar.

Shivakumar termed the searches politically motivated and alleged that the BJP-led central government was using investigative agencies to target the Congress leadership in Karnataka.

He said Jarkiholi was a prominent ST leader whose political influence had been growing in the Belagavi region and alleged that the ED action was aimed at curbing that influence. Shivakumar also said Jarkiholi, who has business interests, had conducted his affairs within the framework of the law.

The ED's investigation is focused on suspected financial irregularities linked to the excise department and the grant of liquor-related licences.

Jarkiholi, a senior Congress leader from Belagavi, holds the Public Works portfolio in the state cabinet who nurses the ambition to succeed former CM Siddaramaiah as the leader of minorities, OBCs and Dalits, a formidable caste grouping.