The Supreme Court has dismissed a plea by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) challenging the Delhi High Court order granting bail to Karnataka Congress leader DK Shivakumar in money-laundering case.

Taking up the petition on Friday, the Supreme Court bench, comprising Justices RF Nariman and S Ravindra Bhat, also pulled up the ED for copy-pasting arguments from Chidambaram’s case without editing.

The SC also issued a notice in the petition filed by Shivakumar seeking quashing of charges against him by the Income Tax department.

The Delhi High Court had on October 23 granted bail to Shivakumar.

The ED had moved the Supreme Court challenging the Delhi High Court decision granting bail to DK Shivakumar saying the Congress leader could tamper with the evidence in the case.

Shivakumar, a seven-time MLA in Karnataka, was booked along with Haumanthaiah an employee at Karnataka Bhavan in New Delhi and others for alleged offences under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).

The case was based on a chargesheet filed by the Income Tax Department against them last year before a special court in Bengaluru on charges of alleged tax evasion and 'hawala' transactions worth crores or rupees.

The I-T department has accused Shivakumar and his alleged associate SK Sharma of indulging in transactions involving huge amounts of unaccounted money on a regular basis through 'hawala' channels with the help of three other accused.

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