BRS Leader K Kavitha Denied Bail in Liquor Policy Case by Supreme Court

New Delhi:

The Supreme Court on Monday requested responses from the CBI and ED on BRS leader K Kavitha’s requests for bail in corruption and money laundering cases connected to the alleged Delhi excise policy scandal. A panel of justices B R Gavai and K V Viswanathan consented to listen to Ms Kavitha’s requests challenging the Delhi High Court’s July 1 decision denying her bail in these cases.

Seasoned lawyer Mukul Rohatgi, representing Ms Kavitha, informed the panel that she has been in detention for about five months and the chargesheet and prosecution complaint have been filed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the Enforcement Directorate (ED) respectively.

A prosecution complaint is the ED’s equivalent of a chargesheet.

Mr Rohatgi mentioned that there were approximately 500 witnesses in both these cases.

Arguing that she was eligible for bail, Mr Rohatgi cited the Supreme Court’s decision and order issued on the requests filed by Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Manish Sisodia.

The highest court had granted temporary bail to Mr Kejriwal in the money laundering case associated with the alleged scandal. Mr Sisodia was given bail in both the corruption and money laundering cases linked to the alleged Delhi excise policy scandal.

Mr Rohatgi stated that Ms Kavitha’s situation fell under these orders of the highest court.

“We will serve notice,” the panel stated.

“May I request interim bail,” Mr Rohatgi asked.

The panel remarked, “Not without hearing them (CBI and ED).”

The panel then issued notices to the CBI and the ED requesting their responses on Ms Kavitha’s requests and scheduled the matter for hearing on August 20.

The high court had dismissed Ms Kavitha’s bail requests in both cases on July 1, stating that she was apparently one of the main conspirators in the criminal conspiracy related to the creation and implementation of the now-eliminated Delhi Excise Policy 2021-22.

The CBI and the ED have initiated separate cases concerning alleged corruption and money laundering in the development and execution of the policy.

The ED apprehended Ms Kavitha (46) from her Banjara Hills residence in Hyderabad on March 15. The CBI took her into custody on April 11 in connection with the corruption case related to the alleged scandal.

Ms Kavitha has rejected the accusations.

While rejecting her bail requests, the high court stated that there was currently no basis for granting regular bail as the investigation is at a critical stage.

It turned down her plea for relief on the basis of her gender, stating that as an educated individual and a former MP, she cannot be equated with a vulnerable female, and the court cannot overlook the “serious allegations” against her.

This “court is of the opinion that K Kavitha was apparently one of the main conspirators in the criminal conspiracy hatched in relation to formulation and implementation of Delhi Excise Policy 2021-22,” the high court stated.

In the high court, Ms Kavitha had contested the May 6 order of a trial court which dismissed her bail applications in the CBI’s corruption case as well as the ED’s money-laundering case.

Before the high court in the ED case, the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) leader, daughter of former Telangana chief minister K Chandrashekar Rao, had stated she had “nothing to do” with the excise policy and there was a criminal conspiracy against her “orchestrated by the ruling party at the Centre with the active connivance of the ED”.