‘My arrest is illegal’: K Kavitha on arraignment before Delhi court by ED in excise policy case
New Delhi: Just after Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal was granted bail by the Rouse Avenue court following his arrest for continuously skipping the Enforcement Directorate summons in connection with the alleged Delhi excise scam case, the central agency has arrested BRS leader K Kavitha brought to court in connection with the same case. Kavitha, a member of the Telangana Legislative Council, was produced before Special Judge MK Nagpal.
In her initial reaction when she was produced before the Rouse Avenue court in Delhi, K Kavitha told the media, “We will fight the matter in court.” Earlier in the day, she was arrested by the central agency from her residence in Banjara Hills of Hyderabad.
Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) MLC K Kavitha appears before Rouse Avenue Court in Delhi excise-linked money laundering case and says: “My arrest is illegal.”
Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) MLC K Kavitha appears before Rouse Avenue Court in Delhi excise-linked money laundering case and says: “My arrest is illegal.”
Kavitha has been produced before the court of Special Judge MK Nagpal
— ANI (@ANI) March 16, 2024
Liquor fraud case: Kavitha’s arrest
Kavitha is the daughter of BRS chief and Telangana chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao. She was arrested by the Central Bureau of Investigation after hours of interrogation, followed by a raid on her house.
During the search, ED officials recovered as many as five mobile phones. The search operation at the residence of the BRS leader started around 1.45 pm yesterday and continued until around 6.45 pm on Friday.
Delhi Excise Policy Case
Under the leadership of Prime Minister Kejriwal, the Delhi government has introduced an excise policy in 2021-22, aimed at strengthening the alcohol market in the city. This marked a shift from focusing on sales volume to charging license fees to merchants, complemented by a big promise to renovate stores for a better shopping experience. Unfortunately, the policy hit a roadblock due to allegations of corruption by VK Saxena, the Lieutenant Governor of Delhi, resulting in its annulment and the initiation of a detailed CBI investigation.
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) suggested that Kejriwal’s Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) had allegedly received a handsome kickback of Rs 100 crores for sealing the excise policy. The ED pointed out that a significant portion of this illegal income was used to finance the party’s political campaign in Goa. The investigating agency’s files revealed the involvement of an entity known as the ‘South Group’ in these alleged malpractices.
As part of the ongoing investigation, the agency has arrested two senior AAP leaders so far: Manish Sisodia, the former deputy CM of Delhi, was arrested on February 26 last year, while Sanjay Singh was taken into custody on February 5. October.