No relief for Kavitha: SC notices to ED on BRS MLC's petition against arrest

Supreme Court issues notices to ED on BRS MLC Kalvakuntla Kavitha's petition challenging her arrest. Trial court to decide bail plea

Update:2024-03-22 11:36 IST

HYDERABAD: The Supreme Court of India has issued notices to the Directorate of Enforcement (ED) on the petition filed by BRS MLC Kalvakuntla Kavitha challenging her arrest. The apex court on Friday asked the ED to respond in six weeks. The court directed her lawyers to approach the trial court to move the bail petition. The Supreme Court asked the trial court to dispose of the bail petition at the earliest as the petitioner was a woman. The court tagged the PMLA cases with Kavitha's petition.

The Supreme Court bench consisting of Justices Sanjiv Khanna, MM Sundresh and Bela M Trivedi asked the BRS to approach the trial court, suggesting that it was the practice which the Supreme Court was following and the same could not be bypassed.

Further details are awaited.

Also read: BRS MLC and KCR's daughter Kavitha arrested by ED in Delhi Liquor Policy case

The Enforcement Directorate sleuths, after a protracted questioning for over five hours, arrested BRS MLC Kalvakuntla Kavitha, who is also the daughter of Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) supremo K Chandrashekar Rao on March 15 and took her to Delhi. At least 10 officers from the ED participated in the opeartion. Kavitha was arrested in connection with the Delhi Liquor Scam in which she was named as an accused. The ED filed PMLA cases against the lady MLC.

Also Read: ED finds Kavitha Kalvakuntla guilty of money laundering

Kalvakuntla was found guilty of an offence under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002. The Enforcement Directorate in its report alleged that she was found guilty under Section 3 and 4 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002 (PMLA).

What are the charges against Kavitha ?

The main allegation against her was that she had connived with the Aam Admi Party Government and Deputy Chief Minister of Delhi Manish Sisodia on behalf of the "south lobby", also called "south group", in the formulation of the Delhi Excise policy. The BRS MLC is accused of having benami investments in ‘Indospirits’, a company charged with involvement in the Deli Liquor Policy case. The ED alleged that Rs 100 crore of kickbacks had changed hands in the scam. The main allegation was that the roots of the money trail could be traced to Hyderabad and the same was transferred from there to Delhi.

Also read: What are charges against BRS MLC Kavitha? What is Delhi liquor scam case?

The South Group, allegedly controlled by Kavitha, Sarath Chandra Reddy of multi-billion dollar pharma and real estate conglomerate Aurobindo group; and Ongole MP Magunta Srinivasulu Reddy (recently resigned from YSRCP), and his son Raghava, who all turned approvers one after the other, allegedly bribed the AAP government to influence the excise policy prepared with conditions that would favour the group in winning the tender. This eventually would facilitate a cartelisation among them and control the retail liquor outlets.