K Kavitha, the daughter of Bharath Rashtra Samithi (BRS) chief and former Telangana chief minister K Chandrashekar Rao (KCR) was arrested following an ED raid at her Hyderabad home on March 15.
Delhi Excise Policy Case: A Delhi court Tuesday remanded BRS leader K Kavitha to 14-day in judicial custody in connection with the alleged money laundering case linked to the purported Delhi excise policy scam. The Enforcement Directorate (ED) produced the 46-year-old BRS leader before the Rouse Avenue Court today at the end of custody by the agency which had arrested her on March 15 .
Special Judge Kaveri Baweja passed the order after the ED did not seek an extension of her custodial interrogation. Kavitha was sent to seven-day ED custody on March 16 and it was extended by three days last Saturday.
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ED counters Kavitha’s bail plea
Kavitha’s counsel Nitish Rana had filed a plea in Delhi’s Rouse Avenue court seeking interim bail for the BRS MLC on grounds of her minor son’s exams.
However, the bail plea was countered by the ED counsel, saying that the agency must be given time for filing a reply, in case ab interim bail is to be considered. The agency’s counsel underlined that for both interim and regular bail there were stringent provisions under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
Kavitha’s counsel also sought permission for physically inspecting the documents submitted by the agency in a sealed cover under provisions 19 (2) of the PMLA.
According to the provision, the authorities concerned, immediately after making an arrest were required to forward the arrest order along with the material in its possession to the court.
K Kavitha was produced by the ED in Delhi’s Rouse Avenue Court Tuesday on the conclusion of her custody remand in the Delhi excise policy scam case. Earlier, the federal probe agency by Special Judge Kaveri Baweja to interrogate Kavitha in custody.
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‘Political laundering’
Speaking to the media while being brought to the court, Kavitha claimed it was a “political laundering case” meant to force the accused to join the BJP and give funds to the ruling party.
“This is not a money laundering case but a political laundering case. It is a fabricated and false case. One accused has joined BJP, the second accused is getting a BJP ticket and the third accused has given 50 crore in electoral bonds. This is a political laundering case, we will come out clean,” the BRS leader alleged.
The ED had filed an application in the Delhi court seeking directions to send Kavitha to judicial custody. The agency told the court that during Kavitha’s remand, she was with several individuals and digital records pertaining to the case.
The ED also recorded her statement and interrogated her, the agency stated.
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K Kavitha arrest
K Kavitha, the daughter of Bharath Rashtra Samithi (BRS) chief and former Telangana chief minister K Chandrashekar Rao (KCR) was arrested following an ED raid at her Hyderabad home on March 15. A day later, a court remanded her to ED custody.
The ED has alleged that Kavitha was a key member of the ‘South Group’ that has been accused of paying the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) kickbacks of Rs 100 crore in return for a big share of liquor licences in Delhi.
Earlier, the Supreme Court refused to entertain K Kavitha’s bail plea and asked her to move the trial court with the direction that the bail application filed would be decided expeditiously.
A bench of justices Sanjiv Khanna, MM Sundresh, and Bela M. Trivedi remarked that it has to follow a uniform policy for all and can’t allow people to approach the top court directly for bail as they are political people.
(With inputs from agencies)
