Excise policy case: Delhi Hight Court denies bail to K Kavitha

Kavitha

The Delhi High Court today ( July 1) denied bail to BRS leader K Kavitha in the corruption and money laundering cases linked to the alleged excise policy scam.

The court had reserved the plea for judgment on May 28 after hearing the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and Kavitha at length.

Kavitha’s lawyer had submitted that out of the 50 accused in the excise matter, she is the lone woman, and urged the court to consider granting her bail as law keeps women on a different pedestal.

The CBI and ED had opposed the bail pleas of Kavitha, saying she was highly influential and powerful enough to influence witnesses.

Countering the submission made on behalf of Kavitha that she, being a woman, be released on bail, the probe agencies had contended that it was the woman who was playing the main role in the conspiracy here and she was an active politician and a member of legislative council and cannot seek parity with vulnerable woman.

The CBI’s counsel had argued that Kavitha was not just a woman but a very influential woman and was powerful enough to influence witnesses as one of the witnesses has even stated that he was threatened by her.

The order was passed in Kavitha's appeal against the order of the trial court denying bail to her. A Delhi court on May 6 declined bail to Kavitha noting that the stage was not right to grant the relief. Earlier on April 8, the same court denied her interim bail.

Kavitha, daughter of former Telangana CM K Chandrashekar Rao, had sought interim bail on the grounds of the school examinations of her minor son. She contended that her 16-year-old son needed his mother's "moral and emotional support".

Kavitha is allegedly a key member of the "South Group", which has been accused of paying the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in Delhi kickbacks of Rs 100 crore in return for a big share of liquor licences in the national capital.

Kavitha, 46, was arrested from her Banjara Hills residence on March 15 amid protests by BRS supporters. She was then sent to seven-day ED custody the next day. Her custodial interrogation was later extended by three days. She was sent to 14-day judicial custody.