Delhi’s Rouse Avenue court on Tuesday sent Bharat Rashtriya Samithi (BRS) leader K Kavitha to 14-day judicial custody in the Delhi excise policy scam case. Kavitha was produced before the court on the conclusion of her custody remand.
Special Judge Kaveri Baweja passed the order after the Enforcement Directorate (ED) did not seek an extension of her custodial interrogation. During the proceedings, Kavitha’s advocate Nitesh Rana sought interim bail on the grounds of her minor son’s exam.
The counsel for the ED countered the bail, saying even if interim bail is to be considered, then opportunity must be given for filing a reply.
The ED underlined that for both interim and regular bail there were stringent provisions under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
The court will hear her interim bail plea of April 1.
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.
The federal probe agency told the court that during her remand period, ED recorded the BRS leader’s statement, interrogated her and confronted her with several individuals and digital records.
The ED has alleged that Kavitha, the daughter of former Telangana chief minister K Chandrashekar Rao, 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 the national capital.
Earlier, while entering the courtroom, the BRS MLC said, “This is not a money laundering case but a political laundering case. It is a fabricated and false case. We will come out clean.”
On March 23, ED raided the houses of Kavitha’s nephew Meka Sri Sharan Rao and sister-in-law Akila. As per a report by Deccan Chronicle, ED is likely to arrest some of her family members
Earlier, the court had directed that the BRS leader’s ED custody should be subject to the same terms and conditions regarding the interrogation at a place having CCTV cameras and preserving the footage.
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